Abstract

Background: Effective menstrual hygiene is vital for the health, well-being, dignity, empowerment, mobility, and productivity of women and girls. Inadequate menstrual hygiene can lead to serious health issues such as reproductive tract infections (RTIs), urinary tract infections (UTIs), and can negatively affect a girl’s educational and social participation. Despite its importance, many adolescent girls lack proper knowledge and practices regarding menstrual hygiene due to cultural taboos, lack of education, and limited access to resources. Understanding the current level of knowledge among adolescent girls is essential to designing effective educational interventions. Aims and Objectives: 1. To assess the level of knowledge on menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls. 2. To associate the level of knowledge on menstrual hygiene with selected demographic variables. Methodology: A quantitative research approach with a descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of adolescent girls aged 17 to 19 years. A total of 50 participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique. The study was conducted at Vels School of Physiotherapy, Thalambur. A structured questionnaire was used to collect demographic data and assess knowledge on menstrual hygiene. Subject experts established the tool’s content validity, and the reliability coefficient was found to be r = 0.8, indicating good reliability. Results: The study revealed that the majority of participants were aged 19 years (22%) and 76% of them were Hindus. Regarding the knowledge level on menstrual hygiene, 4% had inadequate knowledge, 78% had moderate knowledge, and 18% had adequate knowledge. Conclusion: The study concludes that most adolescent girls had only moderate knowledge about menstrual hygiene. Enhancing awareness through structured educational interventions is essential to improve knowledge and hygienic practices.

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