CHANGE IN KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES REGARDING MENSTRUATION IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS OF THE TRIBAL REGION OF WESTERN MAHARASHTRA

Background: India has over 355 million menstruating women and girls, but millions of them across the country face bad experiences with Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM)3. Materials and Methods: This was a Descriptive Longitudinal study with a study duration of 6 months. This study was conducted in a School in Bhandardara and the Department of Community Medicine, Dr. BVP Rural Medical College, Loni. Results: A total of 44 students participated in the workshop. The mean age of the students was 13.98 ± 1.35 years. The mean age of menarche of study participants was 12.69 ± 1.05 years. There was a statistically significant improvement in the knowledge of the participants post-workshop regarding the ideal time for changing the napkin/cloth (p value 0.04), disposal method of used sanitary products (p value <0.0001), anatomy of the female reproductive system (p value <0.0001), and source of menstrual blood. (p value 0.0004). There was a statistically significant difference in the menstrual hygiene practice scores of the participants before and after the workshop (p-value < 0.0001). Conclusion: The pretest knowledge and practice of the study participants regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene practices were generally poor, and the workshop resulted in a substantial improvement in these areas.