Knowledge and Practices on Menstruation Among Adolescent Girls in Rural Areas in Malaysia

Abstract

Learning about menstrual hygiene is one of the most important aspects of health education, especially for adolescent girls. Many adolescent girls have insufficient knowledge about menstrual hygiene awareness, which can lead to unhealthy behaviours and practices during menstruation. This study set out to observe the knowledge of menstruation and menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls in rural areas. One hundred adolescent girls from the rural areas located in Negeri Sembilan were involved in this study. Respondents need to fill up three parts of the questionnaire, i.e., demographic information, general information about menstruation, and menstrual hygiene practices. Results from this study found that the majority of the respondents attained menarche at the age of 12-15 years. The main source of information about menstruation among respondents is obtained from their mothers (60%). In practice, around 69% of them change their sanitary pads thrice daily. Most respondents (80%) dispose of used sanitary pads in the dustbin. Also, 60% reported changing sanitary pads at school. Concisely, 90% of them still need more information about menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Hence, educating them on this issue is essential so they can practice properly and hygienically during menstruation.