A comparitive study of knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene among the adolescent school girls inrural and urban area Vaishali1, Dr. Miglani Neha2, Dr. Brar Prabhdip3 1M. Sc. (IV), University Institute of Fashion Technology & Vocational Development Panjab University, Chandigarh, U.I.F.T. & V.D 2UGC Post-Doctoral Fellow, U.I.F.T & V.D 3Chairperson & Asst. Professor, U.I.F.T & V.D Online published on 7 October, 2019. Abstract Menstrual hygiene and its related knowledge are indispensible for young girls. Whether the knowledge transcends into practice is also an important aspect. This paper aims to assess the knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene among rural and urban girls. In general, it was believed that menstruation and menstrual hygiene practices are still linked with socio-cultural restriction and taboos which results lack of knowledge and awareness in adolescent girls. This paper does a ground-level survey of these concepts. Menstruation is a monthly phenomenonforevery woman that requires access to appropriate resources and facilities without which; a woman may suffer from poor menstrual hygiene related issues which in turn cause health issues and hampers their self-confidence. The prime objectives of the study wereto find out the perceptions related to menarche, social taboos, stigma and spending capacity on sanitary napkins among girls (during menstruation) based on their socio-demographic profile. It also aimsto compare the knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene among the adolescent school girls in the rural and urban area. A sample of 120 students was studied, which was further divided into two parts i.e. 60 girls for rural area and 60 for the urban area. The data was collected using a 31 item, structured questionnaire. The tool was further divided into four parts. There was no association found between the education of mother and restrictions faced during menstruation by the adolescent girls. Even a less educated mother can be liberal while a mother who is more educated may impose more restrictions. The study concluded that there is no significant difference in knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene among the adolescent girls of rural and urban area. Top Keywords Menstrual Hygiene, Adolescent, School, Girls, Rural, Urban, Menstrual Knowledge. Top |