Menstrual hygiene practices of women in a rural area of Kancheepuram district, India: a cross sectional study

Authors

  • Angeline Grace G. Department of Community Medicine, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • ArunKumar M. Department of Community Medicine, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  • Umadevi R. Department of Community Medicine, Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20191414

Keywords:

Menstruation, Females, Rural community

Abstract

Background: Menstruation is a normal biological function in females and in the society, the practices followed are highly variable across different regions. This study aimed to determine the practices followed during menstruation by rural women in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, India.

Methods: This community based cross sectional study was carried out between August and October 2018. Sample size of 400 was calculated by using formula 4pq/d2 and female respondents were selected from sampled households using systematic random sampling. Data were collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire, which were analysed using SPSS version 16.0 and presented using descriptive and analytical statistics.

Results: A total of 395 women were included in the study. About 54% of females belonged to the age group of 26-35 years and 82.5% were married. Use of sanitary pads during menstruation was reported by 28.6% of the females. Other absorbents used were disposable cloths (46.3%) and reusable cloths (25.1%). About 79% of females practiced some form of restriction during menstruation. Females aged <35 years (OR: 2.55, 95% CI: 1.48-4.39) were more likely to use sanitary pad compared to older females. Females who used sanitary pad as absorbent were less likely to have symptoms of reproductive tract infections compared to those who didn’t (OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.28-0.94).

Conclusions: Menstrual hygiene practices were found be unsatisfactory among the rural women and various restrictions during menstruation were also in practice. Women should be educated about the importance of use of sanitary pads and the harms of using cloths. Awareness also needs to be created to abolish the unnecessary restrictions that are imposed on women to be followed during menstruation.

References

Jabbour HN, Kelly RW, Fraser HM, Critchley HOD. Endocrine regulation of menstruation. Endocr Rev. 2006;27(1):17–46.

Garg S, Anand T. Menstruation related myths in India: strategies for combating it. J Fam Med Prim Care. 2015;4(2):184.

Singh A J. Place of menstruation in the reproductive lives of women of rural North India. Indian J Community Med. 2006;(31):10–4.

Anand E, Singh J, Unisa S. Menstrual hygiene practices and its association with reproductive tract infections and abnormal vaginal discharge among women in India. Sex Reprod Healthc Off J Swed Assoc Midwives. 2015;6(4):249–54.

Paria B, Bhattacharyya A, Das S. A Comparative Study on Menstrual Hygiene Among Urban and Rural Adolescent Girls of West Bengal. J Fam Med Prim Care. 2014;3(4):413–7.

El-Gilany AH, Badawi K, El-Fedawy S. Menstrual hygiene among adolescent schoolgirls in Mansoura, Egypt. Reprod Health Matters. 2005;13(26):147–52.

Adhikari P, Kadel B, Dhungel SI, Mandal A. Knowledge and practice regarding menstrual hygiene in rural adolescent girls of Nepal. Kathmandu Univ Med J. 2007;5(3):382–6.

Balamurugan SS, Shilpa SS, Shaji S. A community based study on menstrual hygiene among reproductive age group women in a rural area, Tamil Nadu. J Basic Clin Reprod Sci. 2014(3):83–7.

Khanna A, Goyal RS, Bhaswar R. Menstrual practices and reproductive problems: A study of adolescent girls in Rajasthan. J Health Manag. 2005;(7):91–107.

Misra P, Upadhyay RP, Sharma V, Anand K, Gupta V. A community-based study of menstrual hygiene practices and willingness to pay for sanitary napkins among women of a rural community in northern India. Natl Med J India. 2013;26(6):335–7.

van-Eijk AM, Sivakami M, Thakkar M, Bauman A, Laserson KF, Coates S, et al. Menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2016;6:010290.

Downloads

Published

2019-03-27

How to Cite

Grace G., A., M., A., & R., U. (2019). Menstrual hygiene practices of women in a rural area of Kancheepuram district, India: a cross sectional study. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 6(4), 1734–1739. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20191414

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles