Kumar Gunjan, Prasuna Josyula G, Seth Gaurav
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, JIPMER, Puducherry, India.
Department of Community Medicine, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2017 Oct-Dec;6(4):730-734. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_24_17.
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.
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.
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).
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.
我国对经期卫生问题的认知不足。使用卫生巾和清洗生殖器区域是保持良好经期卫生的基本做法。经期卫生不良可能导致会阴区域瘙痒或皮疹、异味，有时还会引发盆腔炎和中毒性休克综合征等严重并发症。因此，本研究的目的是评估育龄妇女在经期卫生方面的知识和实践情况。
采用基于社区的横断面研究设计。研究于2012年1月至2013年4月进行。使用预先测试的半结构化问卷收集数据。数据录入计算机并使用SPSS 20版进行分析。
在本研究中，584名（81.7%）受访者有良好的经期卫生习惯。研究结果表明，良好的经期卫生习惯与研究对象的受教育年限之间存在显著的正相关（调整后的优势比[AOR]=9.3，95%置信区间[CI]：4.4-19.5），社会经济地位较高者（AOR = 9.27，95% CI：4.7-18.03）也是如此。
了解良好的经期卫生习惯至关重要。关于经期卫生的健康教育应成为学校课程和卫生机构的一部分。在便利的商店对优质、低成本卫生巾进行社会营销，提供充足的供水，设置低成本卫生巾自动售货机，在学校、工作场所和公共场所提供隐私设施和壁挂式焚化炉用于处理卫生巾，将大大有助于改善经期卫生，并帮助她们获得健康的生活方式。
