Management Of Menstruation Hygienenic Practices Among The Rural Adolescent Girls Of Odisha
Abstract
This paper reports on the results of the survey among the menstruation hygienic practices of adolescent girls of Nayagarh district of Odisha. Data was collected on the knowledge, awareness and about hygienic practices during menstruation and their reproductive health by giving weightage to individual education. The adolescent girls require information regarding hygienic practices during menstruation to maintain their reproductive health status. But in rural Odisha a lot of socio cultural taboos has been associated with the menstrual hygienic practices which affect the physical, psychological and social condition of adolescent girls. The adolescent girls are neglected due to the various factors like poverty, discrimination, superstition etc. In rural areas due to illiteracy and ignorance most of people are not aware about the hygienic practices during menstruation. In rural areas the social taboos put a lot of restrictions for the adolescent girls to share the matter of menstruation among the female members of the family. They are asked by the elder female members of the family to keep secrecy about this issue, for which they became helpless to clear their doubts relating to this sensitive health issue. In these cases the adolescent girls are deprived of proper hygienic practices which hamper their reproductive health, so in many cases the adolescent girls faces different types of reproductive health problem due to their family negligence. The study suggests that majority of illiterate adolescent girls are facing problems relating to hygienic practices during menstruation. So the role of education is the important which helps the adolescents girls to change their health behaviour and make them aware about hygienic practices. Health camp and the involvement of Govt and Non-govt organizations are important to provide better reproductive health services to the rural adolescent girls.