Determinants of menstrual hygiene among school going adolescent girls in a rural area of West Bengal

BACKGROUND: Menstrual hygiene is a neglected issue in rural India. Lack of menstrual hygiene in adolescent girls can make them susceptible to various morbidities, for example, reproductive tract infection and urinary tract infection and their long-term consequences, for example, cervical cancer, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. This study aims to find out the determinants of menstrual hygiene among the school going adolescent girls in a rural area of West Bengal. OBJECTIVES: To elicit the menstrual hygiene practices among the study population and to find out the association of poor menstrual hygiene practices with sociodemographic factors, such as age, occupation and education of the parents, housing, and presence of sanitary toilet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 307 school going adolescent girls of 12–17 years age group in a rural area of West Bengal. RESULTS: Majority of the students in both schools (62.9%) were Hindu, general caste (54.1%) and belonged to nuclear family (69.7%). Most of the parents in both schools had completed their education up to primary level. Bivariate analyses were done, and the significant factors predicting good menstrual hygiene were entered into the multivariable logistic regression model. It revealed that good menstrual hygiene was more among those whose mothers were educated (adjusted odds ratios [AOR] 2.3 [1.06–5.01]), and who were homemakers (AOR 2.3 [1.06–5.01]). CONCLUSIONS: Menstrual hygiene among the study population was found to be poor. The improving education level of the mothers can go a long way in improving menstrual hygiene practice.