A Survey on Practice of Hygiene and Knowledge About Menstruation in Women of Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India

The Uttarakhand, India, is having many remote areas where traditional values are practiced in the societyduring menstruation. A structured study would help to understand the menstruation related traditional practices. Objective:To study the prevalent practice of hygiene, social taboos, and knowledge about menstruation (KAM) in young females, aged18 to 25 years, living in the remote area, Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. Materials and methods: Institutional EthicsCommittee has approved the study. The volunteer subjects were recruited from different villages and colleges. Six hundredfifty subjects were approached to volunteer and 400 subjects, who met inclusion criteria and given consent. The KAM andhygiene related questionnaire [HRQ] were questionnaires, were administered with basic demographic information sheet.Results: Eighty-seven percent of females follow traditional restrictions and taboos during menses. About 52.75% experiencingregular menses, while 47.25% having irregular menses. About 65.25% of respondents were using sanitary pads, while 13%were using old cloth during menstruation. Seventy-two percent women did not know anything about menstruation beforemenarche. Almost all participants follow social restriction irrespective of their level of education. Conclusion: There aremany outdated customs are still practiced by all sections of the society. There is a need of mass awareness to educate theyoung women about menstruation related taboos and practice of hygiene to have a healthy society.