Menstrual Hygiene and Practices among Un-Married Adolescent Girls in Nanded District of Maharashtra State

Abstract

Menstruation related hygiene and practices are the very sensitive and important issue regarding the healt of the girls. The present study assessed menstruation related hygiene and practice among un-married adolescent girls of Nanded district.The study adopted community based cross-sectional approach, 428 respondents were selected using a multistage stratified random sampling method. The participants overall mean age at menarche was 12.5. Around 16.5 percent of the adolescent girls using sanitary pads, 36.7 percent were using only cloths and 46.8 percent of the respondents were using both cloth and sanitary pads. Most of Hindus and Christian girls were using cloths during menses; more number of the Muslim respondents was using sanitary pads. Using cloth was highest among Scheduled caste respondents followed by Scheduled tribes. The girls should be educated about the process of menstruation, use of sanitary pads and its proper disposal.