Menstrual Health of Adolescent Girls in Surat City– A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the study is to document the knowledge, practices and perceptions of the study population, pertaining to menstruation and also to document the treatment seeking behav- iour of the study participants for menstrual problems. Methods: Purposively selected sample of 301 college going & 77 out of college adolescents was studied. Adolescents belonging to the age group of 17 to 19 years and willing to participate in the study were included from one of the three pre-identified colleges. The out of college adolescents were approached through an NGO. These adolescents were studied between September 2010 and July 2011. Results: Majority of the girls (73.2% college going, 66.2% out of col- lege) had prior knowledge about menstruation, mothers being the main source of information. Most of the girls were forced to follow certain restrictions during the periods, most common being denial to go to temple. Significantly higher knowledge (73.2%) about place for treatment of menstruation related problems was observed in the college going girls with a significantly (p=0.0001) higher pro- portion (40%) of college going girls (especially professional college) preferring consulting gynaecologist. Conclusion: Prior knowledge about a significant life event like menstruation was lacking in a sizable number of adolescents which needs to be addressed along with focus on health seeking behavior and practice regarding menstrual health.

Keywords

• Menarchae
• prior information
• treatment seeking behaviour