Knowledge and Perception of menstruation and menstrual hygiene among male and female of Nepal

Abstract

Background: Menstruation is the most significant physical transition that girls go through during puberty. It is a process in which the uterus sheds blood and tissues through vagina every month which typically lasts 2 to 7 days. Menstrual hygiene refers to the usage of sanitary pads or clean, soft absorbent, appropriate genital area cleaning, and correct disposal of used absorbent for women throughout their menstruation. Role of men in menstruation is also important because they are frequently responsible for decision making on health services needed by women. They can help women during menstruation in different ways at home, community and work. The objective of the study is to explore and determine the knowledge level regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene among men and women. The hypothesis of this research is men have lesser knowledge about menstruation and menstrual hygiene compared to women. Methods: The online survey was conducted among 320 college going students aged 18-25 years in Nepal. A google questionnaire form was prepared based on variables like socio-demographic, knowledge and perception regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene. The data was further analyzed using SPSS software. Logistic regression was used to identify factors related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene. P value was used as a base to identify significant association with menstruation and menstrual hygiene at 95% confidence interval. Findings: The study included a total of 320 students of which 135 (42.19%) were male and 185 (57.81%) were female students. The mean age of students was 22.39±1.96. Our hypothesis matches the result of the study i.e. 90.4% of males and 96.8% of females have better knowledge about menstruation and menstrual hygiene.77.8% of females and 63.2 % of male know that menstruation is a physiological and natural process. 50.40 % of male and 28.9% of male first heard and learned about menstruation from school and mother whereas 60% of females learnt it from mother and 16.8% from their school. Conclusion: Knowledge regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene was less among male compared to female participants. However it shows that male of Nepal have a good knowledge about menstruation. It might be because of their school curriculum which include basic education on adolescence, sexual and reproductive health for all students in grades 6 to 10. Participants showed a positive perception towards menstruation and menstrual.