Introduction: The period of adolescence needs special attention because of the turmoil an adolescent faces at different stages of development, different circumstances and needs, and diverse problems. In India, there are multiple restrictions and taboos related to menstruation. In many communities, the mention of the topic is taboo even today. Objective: To evaluate the religious restrictions and other taboos practiced during menstruation by adolescent school girls. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conductedin four schools. Girls in the age group of 13-18 years, who have attained menarche and gave verbal consent to participate, were included in the study. A pre-designed, validated questionnaire that captured information on the cultural taboos practiced during menstruation was administered to the participants. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 15 and the percentage of menstral taboos that were practiced on average was determined. Factor analysis was done to determine the most practiced taboo. Results: A total of 1522 adolescent girls participated in the study. The average age of attaining menarche was 13.08±3.5 years. 81.2% (n=1236) of the participants, predominantly from the Hindu community, did not attend religious functions during menstruation. More than half of them (56.6%) did not sleep in their usual place during menstruation. 40.1% of them (n=611) were not allowed to enter the kitchen. 69.3% (n=1054) of the participants had restrictions on certain food items. Only 5.4% (n=82) of them did not go to school during menstruation. Factor analysis showed that the two most important factors contributing to the taboos were restrictions on religious functions and on sleeping in the same place. Menstrual taboos were prevalent more in younger and less-educated girls (p=0.037 and 0.000, respectively). Conclusion: Restrictions during menstruation are still prevalent in many communities. The two most important cultural taboos are sleep restrictions and religious restrictions. Cultural taboos are prevalent more among less-educated and younger adolescent girls.
Introduction: Adolescent girls require specific and special attention since they are the most vulnerable group not only in terms of their social status but also their health. Poor menstrual hygiene can lead to developing infections and other complications. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of assessing the impact of health education on menstrual hygiene among urban school-going adolescent girls. Methodology: A quasi-experimental, pre and post-test study was conducted among adolescent girls aged between 11 to 17 years from two public schools in the urban field practice area of tertiary care medical college in Thiruvallur district of Tamilnadu. A pre-interventional survey was done using a pretested validated questionnaire. Multipronged health education intervention was administered, and its effectiveness was measured after four months using the same tool. Frequencies, percentages, median, and range were used to describe variables. ‘Wilcoxon signed-rank test’ and the “Mann–Whitney U-” test were used for inferential statistics. Results: There was a statistically significant ( P = 0.0001) improvement in the knowledge of menstruation, perceived attitude, and practice of good menstrual hygiene from pre to post-test after the intervention. Demographic factors such as age, mother’s education, and socio-economic status, and Menstrual characteristics such as age at menarche, regular menstrual flow, absence of dysmenorrhea, and getting menstruation advice before menarche were found to be significantly associated with the post-test median scores. Conclusion: A planned and structured health education program should be addressed to adolescent girls both at schools and community settings for improving menstruation-related knowledge and practices.
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