Impact of Health Education on Menstrual Hygiene among Adolescent Girls in Selected Rural Schools of Bihta Block, Patna, Bihar: A Pre–Post Interventional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47203/IJCH.2026.v38i03.006Keywords:
Adolescent girls, menstrual hygiene, health education, intervention, menstruationAbstract
Background: Menstrual hygiene plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the health and dignity of adolescent girls. In rural settings, inadequate awareness and persistent misconceptions often influence menstrual hygiene behaviours. This study examined baseline menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among school-going adolescent girls and evaluated the impact of a structured educational intervention. Materials and Methods: A pre-post interventional study was conducted among 300 menstruating adolescent girls aged 12–17 years enrolled in selected government and private schools of rural Bihta block of Patna. Participants were selected using a multistage random sampling technique. Baseline information on menstrual knowledge and hygiene practices was collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Subsequently, a planned health education session was conducted. The same tool was administered after two months to assess changes attributable to the intervention. Median scores were computed. McNemar’s test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were applied for statistical analysis. Results: Post-intervention assessment demonstrated a marked improvement in menstrual hygiene knowledge and a modest but statistically significant improvement in hygiene practices. Both knowledge and practice scores improved significantly following the intervention, with median scores increasing from 7.0 to 10.0 and 8.0 to 8.5, respectively (p < 0.001). However, the results should be interpreted in light of the reliance on self-reported hygiene practices which may be prone to reporting bias. Conclusion: Structured educational sessions can effectively improve awareness related to menstruation and contribute to healthier menstrual hygiene behaviours among adolescent girls. However, sustained behavioural change may require continued educational reinforcement with supportive social and environmental conditions.
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The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
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Copyright (c) 2026 DR. GEETIKA SINGH, DR. ANIMESH GUPTA, DR. PRIYANKA GUPTA (Author)
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