Genital hygiene behaviors and associated factors in women living in rural areas of Turkey

Abstract

Background: In traditional societies, religious beliefs and cultural structure direct women more towards conventional behaviors and applications. This descriptive study was carried out with the purpose of determining the genital hygiene behaviors and associated factors in women living in rural areas. Methods: The sample of the study included 197 voluntary single and married women with age range from 20 to 49, registered at the Sarikamis Erenler and Inonu Centers of Family Health in Turkey. The data was collected with a questionnaire form prepared according to the relevant literature and genital hygiene behavior inventory. The results were evaluated with one way analysis of variance, and Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney-U tests. Results: Most of the women used a vaginal douche (66%) and underwent no gynecologic control annually (57.9%). There were statistically significant differences in genital hygiene behaviors between women with regards to women’s education, marital status, profession/work, presence or absence of social security, income and husbands’ work and education (p<0.05). 50.3% changed underwear every day, 36.5% and 56.9% washed hands before and after changing menstrual pads, respectively, and 41.6% and 66.5% washed hands before and after using the toilet. Conclusion: Most of the women living in the rural used vaginal douche and had inferior standards of behavior related to genital hygiene. Nurses, as trainers and consultants, may help women particularly in rural areas for attaining good standards of reproductive health.