BHUBANESWAR: One of every two women in Odisha use unhygienic methods of menstrual protection despite Government’s awareness campaigns and aggressive advertisements by companies dealing with sanitary napkins.The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data indicate that 53 per cent women use unhygienic methods and around 69 per cent women in the State still use cloth. The methods of menstrual protection have been included in the NFHS for the first time. Hygienic methods of protection include commercial sanitary napkins and locally prepared sanitary napkins and the unhygienic medium includes use of cloth and paper.
The report shows the overall use of sanitary napkins by women in Odisha is 33.5 pc against the national average of 57.6 pc. Only 30.3 pc women in rural areas have access to napkins though 49.4 pc urban women use it as a method of menstrual protection. The national urban and rural divide is 77.5 pc and 48.5 pc.The survey report states Hindu and Christian women outnumber the Muslims while adopting unhygienic methods. About 75 pc Christian women use cloth followed by 69.4 pc of Hindu and 53.5 pc of Muslim. Highest 42.4 pc Muslim women use sanitary napkins while the percentage of Hindu and Christian women are 33.4 pc and 29.6 pc respectively.
Surprisingly, cloth is the preference of about 65.5 pc adolescent girls (age group 15-19), 72.7 pc young women (age group 20-24), 81.3 pc Scheduled Tribe women, 75.3 pc Scheduled Caste women, 67.3 pc OBC women and 48.9 pc other women.What is more shocking is that more than half of the women population in the State are unaware about period hygiene as only 47.4 pc menstruating women use a hygienic method and 2.4 pc use tampons for protection.
The NFHS-4 survey conducted by Mumbai-based International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) indicates that nearly 92 pc women those who use cloth are illiterates and 87.3 pc are school drop-outs. However, 12.3 pc women use locally prepared napkins.The survey result indicates about a culture of silence around the subject of period hygiene as people here still consider menstruation ‘dirty and impure’ and a taboo to discuss.
IIPS Assistant Professor Manas Ranjan Pradhan said the reasons for not using hygienic methods may range from lack of access and money to little awareness of procedure of how to use the sanitary napkins.“Also how and where to dispose the used pads may be a concern for rural young women as there are wide variation in use of hygienic method by socio-demographic characteristics of women,” he added.
