Knowledge and Practice Regarding Menstrual Hygiene Among High School Adolescent Girls in Sylhet City, Sylhet

Background: Menstruation is a natural biological process, yet cultural, social, and religious factors create barriers to menstrual hygiene practices, affecting the health and well-being of adolescent girls. Objective: To assess the knowledge and practices related to menstrual hygiene among high school adolescent girls in Sylhet City, focusing on their awareness and hygienic practices during menstruation. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at PDB High School, Sylhet, with a total of 100 respondents (70 from class 9 and 30 from class 10). Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, including standard deviation and p-value, were used to evaluate the relationship between knowledge and hygiene practices. Results: The findings revealed that 84% of students used sanitary pads, demonstrating good knowledge of menstrual hygiene. However, only 51% of the students changed their pads twice a day, indicating poor hygiene practices. The standard deviation for the frequency of pad changing was 1.22, showing moderate variability. Furthermore, 38% of students resorted to using cloths instead of sanitary pads, often due to socio-economic and cultural constraints. The p-value for the association between knowledge and hygiene practices was 0.02, indicating a statistically significant relationship. Additional analysis showed that students with higher knowledge of menstrual hygiene exhibited 72% better hygiene practices, compared to 60% for those with limited knowledge (p-value = 0.03). Conclusion: Although there is a good level of knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene, the practices need significant improvement, especially in terms of pad changing frequency. Further interventions should focus on improving access to sanitary products and enhancing awareness about proper hygiene practices.