the relationship between menstrual health behaviours and self-efficacy among rural women in mangalore, india: a community-based cross-sectional study

Background aim: menstruation, a physiological process in women, requires proper hygiene to prevent health risks. lack of knowledge and cultural taboos can lead to unsafe behaviours, potentially affecting women’s well-being. this study aimed to determine the relationship between menstrual health behaviours and self-efficacy among rural women in mangalore.methods: a community-based cross-sectional study was undertaken among 275 females aged 15-49 years in the rural area of mangalore taluk, india from october 2022 to july 2023. data on menstrual practices and self-efficacy was collected using menstrual practice questionnaire (mpq) and self efficacy in addressing menstrual needs scale (samns-26). convenient sampling was used to select the village and systematic sampling was used to select the households. the data was analysed through epidata manager v 4.6.0.6 and stata version 14. independent t-test, one-way anova, and linear regression analysis were used. results: around 20% of the women relied on cloth for menstrual protection, while 80% used disposable sanitary pads. 44.4% of participants flushed their menstrual materials after using them. almost 40% of participants expressed privacy concerns about the disposal of menstrual waste. the women’s maximum and minimum self-efficacy scores were 58.24 ± 17.03, respectively. regression analysis showed significant relationships between self-efficacy and location for drying menstruation fabric as well as occupation (p<0.05).conclusion: this study highlights a lack of good menstrual hygiene practices among women, alongside persistent practices that adversely affect women’s confidence during menstruation. a necessary program to raise awareness about their menstruation practice should be designed.