A Comparative Study to Assess the Knowledge Regarding Maintenance of Menstrual Hygiene Among Adolescent Girls Studying in Government and Private Schools, Tarn Taran, Punjab

Abstract

Menstruation is also sometimes known as ‘menses’ or described as a ‘menstrual period’. The menstrual cycle is usually around 28 days but can vary from 21 to 35 days. Each cycle involves the release of an egg (ovulation) which moves into the uterus through the fallopian tubes. Tissue and blood start to line the walls of the uterus and the lining of the uterus is shed through the vagina along with blood. The bleeding generally lasts between two to seven days, with some lighter and some heavier flow days. The cycle is often irregular for the first year or two after the beginning of menstruation. Most of the girls suffer from period pains such as abdominal cramps, nausea, fatigue, feeling faint, headaches, back ache and general discomfort. The aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge regarding maintenance of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls within the age group of 13–19 years. A nonexperimental comparative research design was used with non probability purposive sampling technique to assess the knowledge regarding maintenance of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girl. The study was carried out in Shri Guru Arjan Dev Government Senior Secondary School and in Mai Bhago International Public School, Tarn Taran. The sample of the study consisted of 50 adolescent girls from government school and 50 from private school. A self-structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge regarding maintenance of menstrual hygiene. Analysis was done using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings of the study showed that majority (48%) of the adolescent girls studying in government school had average knowledge regarding maintenance of menstrual hygiene followed by 34% who had good knowledge and 18% who had poor knowledge. Whereas majority, i.e., 44% of the adolescent girls studying in private school had good knowledge followed by 14% who had poor knowledge and 4% whose knowledge was average regarding the maintenance of menstrual hygiene. The result of the study reveals that adolescent girls of private school have more knowledge regarding maintenance of menstrual hygiene as compared to adolescent girls of government school.


Keywords: adolescent girls, knowledge, menstruation, menstruation hygiene