School absenteeism during menstruation among adolescent girls in resettlement colonies of Delhi: a community-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: School absenteeism during menstruation and its related effects are preventable through identification of factors associated with it and implementation of region specific appropriate public health measures. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of school absenteeism during menstruation and its associated factors among adolescent girls residing in the resettlement colonies of Delhi. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the urban resettlement colonies of Delhi during 2019 in which 712 school going adolescent girls were interviewed. The details about school absenteeism, its perceived reasons, various socio-demographic details, menstrual hygiene practices were assessed using pretested semi structured questionnaire. The data were entered in MS Excel and analysed using STATA statistical software version 14. Results: The prevalence of school absenteeism during menstruation among adolescent girls of resettlement colony was 43.1%(95% CI:39.5 – 46.7). Out of 307 girls who had school absenteeism, 285(92.8%) had missed for 1-3days. The most common self-reported reasons for school absenteeism during menstruation were pain during menstruation (75.6%) followed by staining of cloths(43.6%) and uncomfortable feeling(39.4%). Studying in government school (PR=1.4, 95% CI:1.1-2.0), suffering from menstruation-related problems(aPR=1.9, 95% CI:1.5-2.4) and pads being provided from schools(PR=1.3, 95% CI:1.1-1.7) were significantly associated with school absenteeism. Conclusions: Almost half of the adolescent girls in resettlement colonies had school absenteeism. The characteristics like government school, pads being provided from school, menstruation related problems like weakness, irritation, perceived weight gain and breast pain was significantly associated with school absenteeism. The factors associated with school absenteeism needs to be addressed with appropriate public health interventions.

School Teacher’s Readiness to Raise Awareness About Menstruation and Cervical Cancer Among Adolescent Girls in Schools of Delhi. A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The restrictions stated by the respondents in this study were as follows: "Don't wash hair" "Not to worship" "Not to enter temples and don't touch pickles" "Avoid citrus fruits" "First 1-2 days do not lift heavy objects or undergo strenuous exercise" These are common restrictions in the society which were consistent with a qualitative study done in Delhi by Garg et al (Garg et al, 2021). However, some restrictions mentioned were good practices like "Avoid junk food during menses" "Adopt good hygiene" Few teachers mentioned that they themselves do not practice any restriction but they are aware of them.…”

The Evolution of Research on School Attendance: A Bibliometric Review of Scholarly Output

“…However, it is worth emphasising the difference that has been observed between published articles with samples from countries with low socioeconomic status and those with samples from high-income countries. It is striking how the concern of researchers from developing countries concentrates on studying factors that can be considered basic needs, such as food insecurity (Baiden et al, 2020), access to quality water (Komarulzaman et al, 2019), hand hygiene (Mbakaya et al, 2019) or the menstruation in girls (Garg et al, 2021), the latter being a factor that accounts for a large amount of research. In contrast, factors addressed by research from developed country samples ignore these needs to focus on a myriad of secondary factors.…”

Menstrual hygiene management practice and its associated factors among in-school adolescent girls in Western Ethiopia

“…About half of the schools in low-income countries lack adequate drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene crucial for girls to manage their period [15]. In different countries of South Asia, 64, 43.1, and 41% of adolescent girls are absent from school due to menstruation [16][17][18] and nearly 70% of schoolgirls reported a lack of supplies for managing menstruation at school [19]. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 50 to 70% of girls miss an average of 1.6-2.1 days of school every month related to menstrual issues [20], and more than 50% of adolescent girls have inadequate menstrual hygiene practice, with a high proportion in rural areas [21].…”