Menstrual Hygiene Practices among Adolescent School Girls in Pakistan

Objectives: To evaluate menstrual hygiene practices among teenage girls and to compare menstrual hygiene practices among secondary and higher secondary school girls in Pakistan Methodology: A cross-sectional study of adolescent girls (grades 9 to 12) from different secondary and higher secondary schools across Pakistan was conducted between November 2017 and September 2018. A pre-tested and standardized questionnaire was administered using a non-probability sampling technique. The menstrual hygiene practices were evaluated and comparisons were made between secondary and higher secondary school girls about these practices. Data was analysed using SPSS version 22. P-value < 0.05 was set for being statistically significant. Results: Out of a total of 2,000 adolescent girls, an equal number of adolescent girls (n=1,000) were chosen from secondary and higher secondary schools. The mean menarchal age was 12.5 ± 1.2 years. Majority of the participants (63.6%) belonged to public sector schools and (71.3%) responded that menstrual blood comes from the womb. One in five (19.3%) girls missed 2 days/month of school due to pain (54.5%). Two-thirds (68.6%) of the participants were using sanitary pads and one of three changed their pads three times/day, and forty-six percent of the girls were unable to carry out daily activities due to menstrual period. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) association was observed between knowledge of menstruation among secondary and higher secondary school girls. Conclusion: The study showed that menstrual hygiene was understood well among young girls. However, a substantial association was noted between secondary and higher secondary school girls’ hygiene practices.