Publication:

Effectiveness of menstrual health education program among rural adolescent school-girls: a quasi-experimental study

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.