A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE ON MENSTRUAL HYGIENE AMONG NURSING STUDENTS IN SELECTED NURSING COLLEGES IN KANCHIPURAM DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

A descriptive study with a quantitative approach was found to be appropriate to assess the knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene. The study was conducted in three nursing colleges in Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu, India. A convenience sampling technique was used to select 102 samples. The research tool consisted of a structured interview schedule to assess the demographic profile of the samples and structured questionnaires to assess the knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene. The study findings revealed that only 3% of the samples have adequate knowledge on menstrual hygiene (> 75% score), 27% of the samples have moderately adequate knowledge (51-75% score) and 70% have inadequate knowledge on menstrual hygiene (< 50% score). It was also observed in the study that 50% of the samples have adequate practice of menstrual hygiene, 40% of the samples have moderately adequate practice and 10% of the samples have inadequate practice of menstrual hygiene