European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Introduction:
Disabilities are nuanced and multifaceted; 15% of the world's population is disabled and has trouble working. Deaf and dumb cause major lifestyle changes and habits among adolescent girls that lead to physical, psychological, and social adjustment issues. Menstruation is a normal physiological process every teenage girl experiences every month. The ability to manage menstruation hygienically is essential to the dignity and wellbeing of women, which is an integral part of basic hygiene, sanitation and reproductive health services. Objective: To determine the existing knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene among specially abled adolescent girls at selected centres in Bhubaneswar(BBSR). Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2020 and November 2020 in Bhubaneswar town of Odisha. Total census sample of 22 deaf and mute adolescent girls from B.B.C Govt High School for the Deaf (Unit III), Bhubaneswar. A questionnaire consisting of three parts namely Part A: Sociodemographic and obstetrical and gynaecological information; Part B: Menstrual hygiene knowledge questionnaire; and Part C: Menstrual hygiene practice checklist. Results:The finding of the study reported that 45.46 per cent had moderately adequate knowledge on menstrual hygiene; 27 per cent of study participants had proportionately inadequate and adequate knowledge of menstrual hygiene, and 86.37 per cent had reported good practice in menstrual hygiene.The Mean and SD of Knowledge score was 37.958 ,Practice was 8.50 and Karl Pearson Correlation (r =0.26, p=0.23) estimated that there was no significant positive fair correlation between knowledge score and practice score. Conclusion: Good menstrual hygiene triggers women's health, trust and self-esteem and is linked to gender equality and fundamental human rights. Setting realistic time-limited targets, including education (Videos and Information Booklets) on hygienic practices followed during menstruation using sign language for deaf and mute adolescent girls, would be a welcome effort to provide basic hygiene and reproductive services to specially-enabled girls and women.

Adolescence is an important period of transition from girlhood to womanhood. Menstruation is the physiological process that indicates the onset of puberty. The practice of menstrual hygiene also depends on socioeconomic, cultural and religious differences. Menstrual hygiene plays an important role in the overall health of women. The aim of the study is to analyse the knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in the Chennai population. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 102 girls of Chennai population to analyse their knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene through an online survey. A self administered questionnaire was prepared with 10 closed ended questions and circulated among the parents through online survey forms “Google forms”. The responses were collected and statistically analysed by SPSS using chi square test. The results were represented by bar charts and frequency tables.Among the 102 participants 98.8% of them are aware of menstrual hygiene 96.1% of the girls use sanitary pads as the absorbent, and about 99% of them dispose of their used absorbents in dustbins. 94.1% have knowledge on the effect of not following good menstrual hygiene. The study concludes that the girls of Chennai population have adequate knowledge and good practice of menstrual hygiene