Effectiveness of School-Based Program on Knowledge regarding Menstrual health and Hygiene among Adolescent girls
Jeya Beulah D.
HOD, Community Health Nursing Dept, SCPM College of Nursing and Paramedical Sciences,
Gonda, UP – 271003.
*Corresponding Author E-mail: jeya.beulah09@gmail.com
ABSTRACT:
Menstrual hygiene is very important during menstruation but due to lack of knowledge many girls are not following proper hygiene and in future they will suffer from many illness and cervical cancers are rising nowadays due to lack of hygiene. If they follow proper menstrual hygiene then this problem will be reduced. Objectives are to assess the pre-test level of knowledge regarding menstrual health and hygiene, to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based program on knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene and also to find out the association between post-test knowledge scores with thesis selected demographical variables. In this study, pre-experimental pretest post-test design was adopted and 60 girls were selected. The findings showed that, in pretest with mean score 11.41(47.34%) with standard division 4.39 and in a post-test with a mean score of 13.75 (57.29%) standard division 2.7. The obtain ‘t’ value 3.33 is greater than the table value at the degree of freedom 59 at 0.01 level of significance. Hence, education is effective in improving the adolescent’s knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene.
KEYWORDS: Effectiveness, School-Based Program, Menstrual Health, Hygiene, Adolescent Girls.
INTRODUCTION:
The menstrual cycle, or period, is a unique phenomenon that nature intended for women. It is a significant period of time, not just a short duration, during which women experience many reproductive changes, from menarche, the start of the menstrual cycle, to menopause. Teenage girls are the only ones who experience the physiological phenomena known as menstruation. One of the biggest changes that girls go through in their adolescence is the commencement of the menstrual cycle. The first menstrual cycle starts between the ages of 11 and 15, with a mean of 13.
Since the physiology, pathology, and psychology of menstruation have all been linked to women's health and wellbeing, menstrual hygiene is an essential component of women's lives and a significant factor in the morbidity and mortality of the female population. A woman is thought to be particularly susceptible to developing several RTIs, UTIs, and STDs during this time. Though it has become more common in activism, programming, policy, and research, the word "menstrual health" has not yet been given a clear, comprehensive definition. Menstrual health is a rapidly expanding field of study and practice, so a thorough description is required to guarantee that it is prioritized as a single goal in national policy, financial frameworks, development, and global health initiatives.1
Women, girls, and other people who go through a monthly cycle need to have access to correct biological and useful information in order to ensure menstrual health. Understanding the body for menstrual health is made possible by biological knowledge on the menstrual cycle and its connection to fertility and reproduction.2 For women and girls to be healthy, happy, productive, and to maintain their dignity, menstrual hygiene is essential. Menstrual hygiene management is a concern, though, particularly in societies were talking about menstruation hygiene is frowned upon. In order to evaluate menstrual hygiene management practices and related factors among secondary school girls in Finot Selam town, Ethiopia in 2019, a cross-sectional study was conducted. The survey included 442 schoolgirls in all, with a 99.1% response rate. Sixty-eight percent of teenage females managed their menstrual hygiene well. The results of a thorough interview revealed that girls' inability to manage their menstrual hygiene in school was attributed to a lack of adequate sanitary facilities.3
Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) project done a survey in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in 2016. There were 14,625 teenage girls in the study sample, ranging in age from 10 to 19. A multi-stage systematic sampling design was employed in the selection of the study sample. To determine the determinants at the individual and community levels connected to the use of sanitary napkins, multilevel logistic regression (MLR) was employed. The usage of sanitary napkins varied greatly throughout socioeconomic and demographic categories, according to the results. Compared to girls who had no formal education (26.4%), those with 8–9 (53.2%) and 10+ (75.4%) years of schooling used sanitary napkins substantially more frequently.4 According to Gopalan (2019), there are three obstacles that India has in implementing menstrual hygiene practices: a lack of knowledge about menstruation, a lack of acceptance of the monthly cycle, and a lack of availability to high-quality hygiene products. Hence, there is a need of school-based education to create awareness about importance of menstrual health and hygiene among the adolescent girls.5
A study was conducted at Little Flower High school, Tirupati to determine the knowledge of adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene. Convenient sampling technique was used and 50 samples were chosen. The study's conclusions showed that, of the 50 samples, the majority (76% of the sample had poor knowledge and 24% had very poor knowledge), after education 48% of the sample had very good knowledge, 42% had good knowledge, and only 10% had average knowledge.6
OBJECTIVES:
1. To assess the pre-test level of knowledge regarding menstrual health and hygiene among the adolescent girls
2. To assess the post –test level of knowledge regarding menstrual health and hygiene among adolescent girls.
3. To evaluate the effectiveness of school-based program on knowledge regarding menstrual health and hygiene among the adolescent girls.
4. To find out the association between knowledge scores with selected socio demographic variables.
HYPOTHESIS:
H1: There will be significant association between mean pretest and mean post-test knowledge score regarding menstrual health and hygiene among the adolescent girls.
H2: There will be significant association between knowledge scores with selected socio demographic variables.
RESEARCH DESIGN:
Pre-experimental - pretest post-test design was used. An evaluative approach was adopted.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TOOL:
The study tool consists of two sections. Section A consists of demographic variables. Section B consists of structured knowledge questionnaire about menstrual health and hygiene. It contains 25 objective types of multiple-choice questions. Each correct answer carries one mark. The maximum mark is 25.
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION:
Data collection was carried out by taking formal permission from concerned authorities of a selected school (Skyline Public school) at Deoria. The researcher introduced herself to the participants and objectives were explained and informed consent was taken. 60 samples were selected and then a pre-test conducted with the help of a structured knowledge questionnaire. On the same day, education was given on menstrual health and hygiene. Then after the 7th day post-test was conducted using the same structured knowledge questionnaire.
MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE STUDY:
The finding of the pre-test knowledge score of the adolescent girl’s regarding menstrual hygiene shows that the majority 46.67% of the sample) had moderate knowledge and 36.66% had inadequate knowledge. 11.41(47.34) with a standard deviation of 4.39 regarding menstrual hygiene. The finding of the post-test knowledge of the adolescent girls regarding menstrual hygiene after the administration of STP shows that 26 (43.34%) of the samples had adequate knowledge and 21 (35%) had moderate knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene. The knowledge samples were found to be 13.75 (57.29%) with standard division 2.70, which indicates that STP is effective in improving knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene in the post-test. The obtain “t’’ value is greater than the table value at the degree of freedom 59 at 0.01 level of significance. Therefore, “t’’ value is found to be significance hence it is showed that there is significance difference between the pretest and post-test knowledge score of adolescent girls regarding the menstrual hygiene. Also, this study results indicated that there is no significant association between knowledge level of adolescent girls and selected variables.
DISCUSSION:
Section - I: Distribution of socio demographic variables
Most of the participants 36.66% (22) were in the age of 13 year and 40% (24) of the respondent’s mother were studied up to High school, 81.66% (49) of the respondent’s mothers was home maker and 76.66% (46) of the respondent’s family monthly income < 10000 rupees. Most of the adolescent girls 70% (42) were living in the rural areas. Out of 60 subjects, 48.33% (29) of the girls attained menarche at the age of age of 12 year.
This table-II shows that the school-based programme was effective in improving knowledge regarding menstrual health and hygiene among adolescent’s girl.
Section-II: Comparison of the, SD mean percentage and gain in mean % knowledge of adolescent girl
|
|
|
Pre test |
|
|
Post test |
|
|
Gain in mean |
|
S.No |
Knowledge aspect |
SD |
Mean |
Mean% |
SD |
Mean |
Mean% |
Percentage |
|
1 |
Knowledge on menstruation |
2.01 |
4.55 |
41.36 |
1.80 |
5.8 |
52.72 |
11.36 |
|
2 |
Knowledge on menstruation |
2.38 |
6.81 |
52.38 |
2.09 |
8 |
61.53 |
9.15 |
|
|
Overall |
3.39 |
11.41 |
47.34 |
2.7 |
13.7 |
57.29 |
9.95 |
Section -III: Association between pre-test and post-test knowledge scores on menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls
|
S. No |
|
Mean |
Mean % |
Standard deviation
|
‘t’ value |
d.f |
‘p’ value
|
|
1 |
Pre test |
11.41
|
47.34%
|
3.39
|
3.33
|
59
|
0.05
|
|
2 |
Post test |
13.7
|
57.29%
|
2.70
|
The above table-III depicts the pretest mean score of knowledge was 11.41 with the standard deviation 3.39, and the post-test mean score of knowledge was 13.7 with the standard deviation 2.70. In this study calculated ‘t’ value 3.33 is higher than the tabulated ‘t’ 2.0. So, the H1 hypothesis is accepted.
Section -IV: Association of the pretest knowledge of adolescent's girl with the demographic variables-
Chi square value computed between the Pretest knowledge level of adolescent’s girl on menstrual hygiene and selected demographic variables. variables such as age, education of mother, occupation of mother, religion, family income per month, type of family, area of living, age of menstruation, number of children in the family, and source of information regarding menstruation were not significant at 0.05 level. Thus, it can be inferred that there is no significant association between knowledge level of the adolescent’s girl and selected variables, Therefore the hypothesis stated there will be significant association between knowledge score and demographic variables is rejected.
CONCLUSION:
Hypotheses H1 made by the researcher that significant increase of knowledge of adolescent girls about menstrual health and hygiene. So H1 is accepted. Hypotheses H2 made by the researcher that there is no significant association between knowledge level with selected socio demographic variables. Hence H2 is rejected. The community health nurse plays a pivotal role in teaching adolescents about menstrual hygiene. Utilizing a variety of audio-visual aids and resources can help to make learning very effective.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that:
· A comparative study may be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching program.
· A similar study can be conducted on large sample to assess the knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene.
· A structured teaching program can be conducted in Adolescents girl of various schools.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
I would like to say heartfelt gratitude my family and colleagues for their valuable support to complete my study.
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Received on 14.08.2024 Revised on 06.11.2024 Accepted on 08.01.2025 Published on 18.02.2025 Available online from March 10, 2025 Int. J. of Advances in Nursing Management. 2025;13(1):33-36. DOI: 10.52711/2454-2652.2025.00007 ©A and V Publications All right reserved
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