Volume : 8, Issue : 3, March - 2019

Influence of socio demographic variables on knowledge, attitude and practice regarding early menarche among school girls in Bangalore

Sumathy Gee, Fabiola M. Dhanaraj, Valliammal S, Kokilavani N

Abstract :

Puberty or menarche is the first onset of menstrual bleeding between 12 to 14 years and recently there is decline in the age of attaining menarche from 12 - 14 years to less than 12 years (between 8 and 11 years). Girls younger than 12 years have less intellectual maturity and understanding of menarche which is also influenced by various socio demographic variables. The aim of the study is to assess the influence of socio demographic variables on knowledge (K), attitude (A) and practice (P) regarding menarche among girls (n=150; age: 8 – 11 years) in selected schools in Bangalore, Karnataka. A data collection instrument (DCI) was developed to quantitatively measure the KAP. Our results show that, there is significant influence of the few demographic variables like education of the student (p<0.001), education of the mother (p<0.001), occupation of the mother (p<0.001), age at menarche (p<0.001), family income (p<0.001), place of residence (p<0.001) and dietary pattern ( p<0.05) on knowledge about menarche. We did not find significant association of socio demographic variables on attitude and practice.