PHFI-Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar, India.
KIIT School of Public Health, KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, India.
BMC Womens Health. 2024 Feb 26;24(1):144. doi: 10.1186/s12905-024-02894-7.
Menstruation is a major physiological change in a woman's life, but lack of knowledge, poor practices, socio-cultural barriers, poor access to products and their improper disposal have significant consequences on health, dignity and well-being of women and adolescent girls.
This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices related to menstrual health and hygiene amongst females of 10-49 years of age; explore the experiences and challenges of women during menstruation; and identify the key predictors of healthy menstrual health and hygiene.
Using a cross-sectional study design, we adopted a mixed methods approach for data collection. For quantitative household survey, a total of 921 respondents were selected from three districts of Odisha. Qualitative findings through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews supplemented the survey findings and helped to identify the barriers affecting good menstrual practices. Epi data version 2.5 and R 4.2.2 was used for data entry and data analysis, respectively. Descriptive statistics was used to calculate proportion, mean and standard deviation; Chi square test was used to measure the association between categorical variables. Bivariate and multivariate logistics analyses were done to identify predictors of healthy menstrual health and hygiene. For qualitative data analysis, thematic analysis approach was adopted using software Atlas.ti 8.
For 74.3% respondents, mothers were the primary source of information; about 61% respondents were using sanitary pad. The mean age at menarche was 12.9 years and almost 46% of respondents did not receive any information about menstruation before menarche. Lower age and education up to higher secondary level or above had statistically significant associations with the knowledge about menstruation. Age, caste, respondent's education, mother's education, sanitation facility, availability of water, accessibility and affordability for sanitary pads were found to be strongly associated with good menstrual hygiene practices.
Traditional beliefs regarding menstruation still persists at the community level. Educating mothers, increasing awareness about safe menstrual hygiene, providing adequate water and sanitation facilities and ensuring proper disposal of menstruation products need priority attention.
月经是女性生命中的一个重大生理变化，但由于缺乏知识、不良习惯、社会文化障碍、产品获取渠道有限以及不当处理，这些因素对女性和少女的健康、尊严和福祉造成了重大影响。
本研究旨在评估 10-49 岁女性的月经健康和卫生知识及实践情况；探讨女性在月经期间的经历和挑战；并确定健康月经健康和卫生的关键预测因素。
采用横断面研究设计，我们采用混合方法收集数据。对于定量家庭调查，从奥里萨邦的三个地区共选择了 921 名受访者。通过焦点小组讨论和深入访谈获得的定性发现补充了调查结果，并有助于确定影响良好月经习惯的障碍。EpiData 版本 2.5 和 R 4.2.2 分别用于数据录入和数据分析。使用描述性统计来计算比例、平均值和标准差；卡方检验用于测量分类变量之间的关联。进行单变量和多变量逻辑回归分析，以确定健康月经健康和卫生的预测因素。对于定性数据分析，采用软件 Atlas.ti 8 进行主题分析方法。
对于 74.3%的受访者来说，母亲是她们获取信息的主要来源；约 61%的受访者使用卫生巾。初潮年龄平均为 12.9 岁，近 46%的受访者在初潮前没有接受过任何关于月经的信息。年龄较小、教育程度达到高中或以上，与对月经的了解有统计学上的显著关联。年龄、种姓、受访者的教育程度、母亲的教育程度、卫生设施、水的供应、获取和负担得起卫生巾的能力与良好的月经卫生习惯密切相关。
传统的月经观念在社区层面仍然存在。教育母亲、提高对安全月经卫生的认识、提供充足的水和卫生设施以及确保妥善处理月经产品需要优先重视。
