Journal of North Khorasan

Abstract Introduction: one of the most important periods of life is adolescence and puberty because it is associated with drastic physical, sexual, psychological and social changes .Teen unfamiliarity with these issues can be the foundation of many health problems and behavioral disorders. This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge and performance of girls attending high school about menstrual hygiene in Bojnurd, Iran. Material: This was a cross-sectional study of 450 female high school students were selected by a multistage sampling method. The data collection instrument was validated through consultation with a faculty researcher and reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Awareness and performance levels were rated as poor ,average and good. Data collected were analyzed using software SPSS.18. Results: The mean age of students was 14/98±1/2 and age at menarche 11/36±1/09,346 (77/9%) of students had poor, 88 patients (19/8%) moderate and 10 (2/3%) had good knowledge. Of the 184 patients (41/4%), poor performance, 232 patients (52/3%) moderate and 28 (6/3%) had a good performance level. Between parental education, mother's occupation and source of knowledge and practice, a significant relationship (p<0.05) was observed. Conclusion: Based on the results drawn from the conducted research ,there was a correlation between the awareness of participants about the menstrual hygiene and the level of education and the occupation of mothers . Thus, continuous training programs for teachers, educators, mothers and daughters is a priority to maintain an acceptable , healthy behavior and perspective before ,during and after menstrual days ,in addition to eliminating the prevalent related misconceptions.