Assessment of menstrual hygiene among reproductive age women in South-west Delhi

Abstract

Background:The issue of menstrual hygiene is inadequately acknowledged in our nation. The use of sanitary pads and washing the genital area are essential practices for good menstrual hygiene. Poor menstrual hygiene may lead to itching or rashes in the perineal region, bad odor, and sometimes, major complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease and toxic shock syndrome. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene among reproductive age group women.Methods:A Community-based cross-sectional study design was employed. Study was conducted from January 2012 to April 2013. Data were collected using a pretested semi-structured structured questionnaire. The data were entered and analyzed into a computer using SPSS version 20.Results:In this study, 584 (81.7%) respondents had good practice of menstrual hygiene. The findings of the study showed a significant positive association between good practices of menstrual hygiene and years of education of the study subject (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =9.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.4–19.5), having a higher socioeconomic status (AOR = 9.27, 95% CI: 4.7–18.03).Conclusions:Awareness of good menstrual practices is of utmost importance. Health education regarding menstrual hygiene should be a part of school curriculum and health institutes. Social marketing of good quality, low-cost sanitary napkins at accessible outlets, provision for adequate water supply, vending machines for low-cost sanitary napkins, privacy and wall-mounted incinerators for disposal in schools, workplaces, and public places would go a long way in improving the menstrual hygiene and help them in securing healthy lifestyle.

Exploring Knowledge and Practices Regarding Menstrual Hygiene Management Among Bihari Women In The Geneva Camp In Bangladesh

“…In contrast to the findings of the current study, some studies of women of reproductive age (Astuti et al, 2021;Budhathoki et al, 2018;Kumar et al, 2017;Patel, 2016;Varghese et al, 2015)medical students, and adolescent girls in India show that the majority women and girls used disposable sanitary napkins during menstruation instead of unhygienic rags and old clothes, tissue paper, or cotton/wool pieces. The possible reasons for this difference are that the women in those studies had good knowledge about MHM and financial capacity to buy sanitary napkins.…”

“…According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), MHM is an integral part of hygiene for most women and girls (UNICEF, 2020) from menarche to menopause (Budhathoki et al, 2018). During menstruation, they need to maintain hygiene by adequately cleaning the external genitalia, using a clean cloth, a sanitary pad (or other products, e.g., tampon, cup) hygienically, and changing the pad or cloth every 3 to 4 hours (Hjelm et al, 2018;Kaur, 2018;Kumar et al, 2017). The use of unhygienic materials may adversely affect women's and girls' health and result in reproductive tract infections (RTIs) (Ulley et al, 2019).…”

Study of reproductive hygiene among married women at urban field practice area, Dharwad

“…5 In our study 59% used sanitary pads which were less when compared to a study done by Kumar et.al in south Delhi where 91% used sanitary pads since Delhi is metropolitan city therefore there was better awareness of usage of sanitary pads. 6 65% of the study participants in our study reported atleast one symptom of RTI which was more when compared to a study done by Mani in Tamil Nadu where 33.3% reported atleast one symptom of RTI as majority belonged to Class III in our study when compared to Class II in Tamilnadu study. 7 In a study done by Balamurugan et al in Hubli, Karnataka, majority of women (32.7%) complained of abnormal vaginal discharge followed by lower backache in (31.4%) and lower abdominal pain in (23.5%) women.…”

Menstrual hygiene practice among female adolescents and its association with knowledge in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The prevalence of poor menstrual hygiene practice was 27.5 to 40% in Nepal studies [ 18 , 19 ] and 68.5% in Bangladesh [ 20 ]. It was also ranged between 44.8–81.7% in different studies conducted in India [ 21 – 24 ]. The prevalence of poor menstrual hygiene practice was 45.45% in Uganda [ 25 ], 74.7% in Nigeria [ 26 ], 28.8% in Kenya [ 27 ] and 69.9% in Ghana [ 28 ].…”