| dc.description.abstract | Background: Girls in the rural areas of Chitral Pakistan face improper menstrual hygiene
management issues due to lack of primary health education and easy access to proper hygiene
and sanitation facilities at schools. The issues also come from some of the socio-cultural
stereotypes related to menstruation which discourage girls to share their problems with their
male family members and teachers. Goal: The goal of this research is to identify the needs and
challenges of menstruating adolescent girls in different schools of Chitral Pakistan for improving
their education and their psychosocial wellbeing. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was
carried out on 177 students recruited from three educational institutions offering secondary
education to girls in the rural areas of Chitral, Pakistan. The schools and colleges were recruited
through the principals of those schools. A purposeful sampling was done to select girls who were
unmarried and in the age group of 13-19 years. Data were collected through an anonymous, self-
administered questionnaire which included quarries about participants’ socio-demographic
characteristics, knowledge, attitude and perceptions about menstruation, social and cultural
behavior, and access to disposable sanitary pads. Findings: The results of this research showed
that 175 (98.5 %) girls had already started their menstruation cycle. Out of the 177 participants,
99.4% reported that they attend schools and out of them 81.9% participants reported that they
don’t feel comfortable at schools during their menstrual cycles. 67.2% participants reported that
their menstrual problems interfere with their school performance. 64% participants reported low
concentration in studies and 2.8% reported that they miss their lessons during their menstrual
(P=0.22) Conclusion: The study concluded that the majority of adolescents do not possess good
knowledge and perceptions about menstruation and menstrual hygiene management. The
school's facilities are not enough to provide comfort to menstruating girls at schools which
hinder their concentration on their studies. Efforts have to be taken to ensure that adolescents are
well educated on the meaning of menstruation, they have access to hygiene absorbents, and
disposal of menstrual hygiene wastes for good hygienic practice both in schools and at home. | en_US |
