ASSESSMENT OF AWARENESS OF MENSTRUATION AND MENSTRUAL HYGIENE PRACTICES AMONG WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE GROUP- A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY AT TERTIARY CARE CENTER, MAHARASHTRA

Background: According to several studies, only 77.3% of Indian women follow menstrual hygiene practices.1 Unaddressed menstrual hygiene is said to hamper the achievement of some of the sustainable development goals (3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th), which are related to menstrual hygiene practices.1,2 Since the last two decades, womens literacy and status in society have improved, so it is important to know whether menstrual hygiene has improved or not. The present study will assess the adequacy of menstrual hygiene knowledge and practice, which is directly related to SDG 6.25. Objectives: 1.To asses the awareness and practices of menstrual hygiene. 2. To study socio-cultural factors associated with hygiene practices. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among women of reproductive age who attended gynecology OPD. A non-probability convenience sampling method and a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire were used. Results: In the current study, 100 women of reproductive age (15–45 years) were interviewed.70% of the participants belonged to the 21–35 age group, 98% were from urban areas, 74% were married, and 6% were illiterate. About 59% of participants had information about menstruation before menarche among them, 38% of participants mothers were the source of information. Nearly 27% participants had miss-belief regarding menstruation. 17% study subjects used cloth as a absorbent material where as 71% participant used less than two absorbent materials per day. Whereas 51% took hand wash after changing absorbent material. Nearly 12% of participants burned absorbent material, while 9% reused it and dried by sunlight. Nearly 78% of participants have been restricted activity during menstruation. Conclusion: This study shows the vital role of a source of information for appropriate knowledge of menstruation. The awareness of menstruation was found to be significantly correlated with literacy status. Good hygiene behavior was positively correlated with informant, literacy level, and family type. Socio-cultural limitations were still present among married women from joint families.