Shruthi Ramesh, Sumirtha Gandhi and Varsha Mukkamalla
IIT-Madras, India
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Prim Health Care
Background: Adolescent women living in low-income households have poor Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). This can drastically affect their reproductive health and educational status. Inadequate knowledge and access along with stigma and sensitivity surrounding menstruation in India impede women from actively reaching out to improve their menstrual practices. Objectives: This paper seeks to understand the problems faced by poor adolescent women, identify the cultural, psychological and economic barriers to good MHM, to undertake a comparative analysis and elicit the factors affecting MHM in Delhi vis-a-vis Chennai. Methods: A total of 142 and 163 (slums of Chennai and Delhi) girls belonging to the age group of 11-20 were interviewed through a self-administered questionnaire. Additionally, FGDs among their mothers were conducted. PCA was used to construct knowledge awareness, access and practices, cultural, empowerment and freedom indices. Analysis was conducted using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results: Household income, maternal education, girlā??s education and type of schooling significantly impacted knowledge and awareness, while access to toilets and marital status impacted practices. Family size and parental education impacted restrictions during menstruation, whereas girlā??s education had significantly influenced empowerment. Further, cultural and societal barriers had a greater impact on MHM, compared to economic barriers. Conclusions: Socio-cultural and socio-economic factors impacted menstrual hygiene greatly. Future policies might focus on promoting behavioural changes and improving access. Moreover, education about menstrual hygiene is imperative to realise desirable results and remove the stigma attached to menstruation.
E-mail: shruthirameshganesh@gmail.com
