TY - JOUR
T1 - Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Menstrual Hygiene among Girls in Ghizer, Gilgit, Pakistan
AU - Shah, Sanober Fazal
AU - Punjani, Neelam Saleem
AU - Rizvi, Syeda Naghma
AU - Sheikh, Sana Sadiq
AU - Jan, Rafat
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/7
Y1 - 2023/7
N2 - Introduction: Menstrual hygiene is a critical issue encountered by women and girls of reproductive age that negatively affects their health and empowerment. It is still deemed a taboo subject in several parts of the world, and girls hesitate to discuss menstruation with their family members, friends, or schoolteachers, which creates hurdles when they experience their menarche. Girls residing in rural areas encounter more problems, since they lack proper resources and knowledge to manage their menstruation in school as well as at home. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the menstrual hygiene of girls residing in rural areas of Gilgit, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to assess the study questions. The consecutive sampling technique was applied to recruit 300 female participants from remote areas of Gilgit, Pakistan, who were 13 to 22 years old. A pre-tested questionnaire was utilized to collect the data, and SPSS version 21.0 was used to analyze them. Results: The study found that more than half of the participants had a poor level of knowledge and practices and negative attitudes towards menstrual hygiene. This could be due to many cultural and social factors associated with menstrual hygiene. Conclusions: The study concluded that the study participants were not knowledgeable about menstrual hygiene. They had poor practices and attitudes regarding menstrual hygiene. Hence, it is recommended that frequent sessions should be conducted by healthcare workers to enhance the knowledge of parents, teachers, and young girls, to increase their positive attitudes and practices regarding menstrual hygiene.
AB - Introduction: Menstrual hygiene is a critical issue encountered by women and girls of reproductive age that negatively affects their health and empowerment. It is still deemed a taboo subject in several parts of the world, and girls hesitate to discuss menstruation with their family members, friends, or schoolteachers, which creates hurdles when they experience their menarche. Girls residing in rural areas encounter more problems, since they lack proper resources and knowledge to manage their menstruation in school as well as at home. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the menstrual hygiene of girls residing in rural areas of Gilgit, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to assess the study questions. The consecutive sampling technique was applied to recruit 300 female participants from remote areas of Gilgit, Pakistan, who were 13 to 22 years old. A pre-tested questionnaire was utilized to collect the data, and SPSS version 21.0 was used to analyze them. Results: The study found that more than half of the participants had a poor level of knowledge and practices and negative attitudes towards menstrual hygiene. This could be due to many cultural and social factors associated with menstrual hygiene. Conclusions: The study concluded that the study participants were not knowledgeable about menstrual hygiene. They had poor practices and attitudes regarding menstrual hygiene. Hence, it is recommended that frequent sessions should be conducted by healthcare workers to enhance the knowledge of parents, teachers, and young girls, to increase their positive attitudes and practices regarding menstrual hygiene.
KW - adolescents
KW - attitudes
KW - knowledge
KW - menstrual hygiene
KW - menstruation
KW - practices
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85165955307&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph20146424
DO - 10.3390/ijerph20146424
M3 - Article
C2 - 37510656
AN - SCOPUS:85165955307
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 20
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 14
M1 - 6424
ER -