A Study of Menstrual Hygiene Among Adolescent School Girls in A Slum Area of Kolkata

Authors

  • Madhumita Bhattacharyya All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health, Kolkata
  • Papia Sen All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health, Kolkata
  • Suprakash Hazra All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health, Kolkata
  • Rabindra Nath Sinha All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health, Kolkata
  • Sanjoya Sahoo All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health, Kolkata

Keywords:

Adolescent girls, Sanitary napkin, Leucorrhoea, Vaginal itch

Abstract

Introduction: Reproductive tract infections are common among the adolescent girls. Poor menstrual and personal hygiene are known contributory factors. Objectives were to examine the prac- tice of menstrual hygiene among the adolescent school girls of ur- ban slum area and to see the association between use of sanitary napkin and prevalence of Leucorrhoea with low back pain or ab- dominal pain and vaginal burning/itching among them.

Methods: A cross sectional observational study was carried out among 460 adolescent girl students of an urban slum area with a predesigned, pretested questionnaire based on Global School - based Student Health survey. Data were analyzed using SPSS, ver- sion 21.

Results: Among 460 girls, 275 (60%) girls were from low socioeco- nomic status. Out of 376 (81.73%) girls who used only sanitary nap- kin, 359 (94.14%) girls did not complain of symptomatic leucor- rhoea and 326 (87.70%) had no vaginal itch or burning. Sixty eight (80.95%) and 62 (73.80%) girls out of 84 girls who did not use only sanitary napkin had symptomatic leucorrhoea. (P<0.000, OR 68.38) and had vaginal itch/burning (P<0.000, OR 18.37) respectively.

Conclusion: Use of sanitary napkin is highly prevalent among the adolescent girls from slum and incidence of symptomatic leucor- rhoea and vaginal itch/burning was significantly less among sani- tary napkin users.

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Published

2015-09-30

How to Cite

1.
Bhattacharyya M, Sen P, Hazra S, Sinha RN, Sahoo S. A Study of Menstrual Hygiene Among Adolescent School Girls in A Slum Area of Kolkata. Natl J Community Med [Internet]. 2015 Sep. 30 [cited 2024 May 2];6(03):345-8. Available from: https://www.njcmindia.com/index.php/file/article/view/1205

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 03 (2015)

Section

Original Research Articles

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