Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge and practices related to menstrual hygiene among adolescent schoolgirls in a flood-affected rural area of Bangladesh and identify the factors influencing their menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in northern Bangladesh between May 25 and June 1, 2023, involving 448 adolescent girls in the flood-affected region. Data was collected through a self-administered descriptive questionnaire. The collected data was entered and analyzed using SPSS 26.0 (IBM SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to determine significant variables through multivariate binary logistic regression models. RESULTS: The study found that more than half (69%) of the in-school adolescent girls had good knowledge about menstrual hygiene, while only one-fourth (28.6%) demonstrated good menstrual hygiene practices. Remarkably, only 1.6% of the girls disposed of their used sanitary napkins in dustbins. The results also indicated that girls aged 17 to 19 [AOR = 7.78, 95% CI: 1.83-32.99] and those from middle-class families [AOR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.31-0.85] showed a significant positive association with menstrual hygiene knowledge. Additionally, the study revealed that the respondents' mothers' education level, particularly having secondary or higher education [AOR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.04-2.77], was significantly associated with better menstrual hygiene practices. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the low level of menstrual hygiene practices among the respondents, emphasizing the urgent need for action. This highlights the urgency of enhancing awareness about the significance of adopting good menstrual hygiene practices. Therefore, it is imperative to incorporate menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices into school curricula and to organize meetings and sessions with schoolgirls' parents, stressing the importance of community support in addressing this issue.