Association of sociodemographic characteristics with KAP regarding menstrual hygiene among women in an urban area in Delhi

Introduction: Menstruation despite being a natural process is linked with several misconceptions and false practices, which sometimes results in adverse health outcomes. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding menstrual hygiene and their association with sociodemographic determinants among women in an urban area of Delhi. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted for a period of 1 year among 350 women age 18–45 years residing in an urban resettlement colony in Delhi. Semi-structured questionnaire containing questions regarding subject's demographic profile, their knowledge, attitude, and practices pertaining to menstrual hygiene was used. It had seven questions regarding knowledge and eight questions each about attitude and practices regarding menstrual hygiene, respectively. A 5-point Likert scale was used to assess women's responses to attitude questions. Practices satisfactory or unsatisfactory were based on UNICEF guidelines. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 17. Results: The mean age of women was 26.53 ± 0.295 years. More than three-fourths (88.3%) women had good knowledge, whereas only 32.3% of women had a positive attitude regarding menstrual hygiene. More than two-thirds of the women were using sanitary pads as menstrual absorbent. Significant association was seen between knowledge and subject's marital status (P = 0.034) and subject's occupation (P = 0.046). A significant association was observed between attitude and socioeconomic status of the participant (P = 0.001). Conclusion: These findings indicate the need for education about healthy menstrual practices. Health education is an essential requirement to fill the knowledge gap to promote accessibility, availability, and sanitary facilities and products.