Effectiveness of menstrual health education program among rural adolescent school-girls: a quasi-experimental study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20260681Keywords:
Adolescent girls, Knowledge, Literacy, Menstrual health education, Rural populationAbstract
Background: Menstruation in rural communities is often obscured by misinformation, taboos, and silence, leading to poor practices, anxiety, misconceptions, and negative health and educational consequences among adolescent girls. Although school-based menstrual health education has shown promise, its uptake in rural areas remains inconsistent. This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured menstrual health education program in improving knowledge, attitudes, and hygiene practices among rural adolescent schoolgirls.
Methods: In this quasi-experimental pre- and post-test study, eighty girls aged 11–15 years from a rural private school in the Ahilyanagar district participated. A standardized 19-item questionnaire assessing knowledge and literacy was administered before and after a 30-minute educational program delivered via lecture, PowerPoint, and video. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Cohen’s d for effect size.
Results: Knowledge scores increased by 57.4% (4.04±1.84 to 6.36±1.70) and menstrual literacy scores by 188.7% (1.68±1.45 to 4.86±1.50), both with high statistical significance (p<0.001). Effect sizes indicated large educational impact (Cohen’s d: 1.30 for knowledge; 2.14 for literacy). Improvements were especially notable in understanding menstrual physiology, hygienic practices, pain management, and dispelling myths regarding activity and dietary restrictions.
Conclusions: A brief, structured menstrual health education program substantially and significantly improved both knowledge and literacy among rural adolescent schoolgirls. These findings support integrating menstrual health education into school curricula as a vital intervention to promote adolescent health, reduce stigma, and enhance academic participation.
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