Menstrual Knowledge among Adolescents in Siddi TribalPopulation

Abstract

Siddhis are a community that migrated from east Africa to India between 15th to 19th
century. Siddhis are an ethnic group inhabiting India. The study was conducted with an
objective of to assess the menstrual knowledgeamong adolescents in Siddi tribal population
and to know the relationship between personal characteristics with menstrual knowledge. A
community based cross-sectional study was undertaken in Siddi tribal areas of Gadag district.
The self-prepared questionnaire was used to elicit the information regarding personal
information of the adolescent and their knowledge regarding menstrual care and hygiene. A
snowball sampling technique was used to recruit the adolescents for the study. Door to door
survey was conducted to select 85 adolescent females for the study. More than 70% (71.76%)
were had low level of knowledge about menstrual hygiene. While 28.23% were had high
level of knowledge about menstrual hygiene. Age, education and SES of the family were
significantly correlated with knowledge regarding menstrual health and hygiene. It indicated
that adolescents in the age group of 16-17 years and educated were had better knowledge.