Knowledge and Practice of Genital Health and Hygiene among Adolescent Girls of Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: The problem related to genital hygiene is inadequately known and has not acknowledged proper attention during the phase of adolescence which distresses the health of the girls and there is an increased susceptibility to reproductive tract infections and pelvic inflammatory diseases and other complications. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of genital hygiene among adolescent girls at Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Nepal. Methodology: A school based cross-sectional study design was employed in Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Nepal. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 400 female high school students. Data collection was carried out from July 04 to July 30, 2018 using a pre- tested, structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed in SPSS for Windows version 22.0. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was done at 95 % confidence interval. Findings indicate: The 37 (9.3%) respondents had good knowledge and 101 (25.3 %) practice of genital hygiene respectively. A significant positive association between good knowledge of genital health with that of exposure to social media [AOR = 2.60, 95 % CI: 1.28-5.28] was demonstrated. Girls who had experienced burning sensations were significantly associated with poor knowledge score [AO.R. (C.I.) 2.62(1.05-6.51)] and girls who had experienced vaginal discharge were nearly three times more likely to have poor knowledge about genital hygiene [AOR = 3.07, 95 % CI: 1.41-6.66]. Girls who had experienced itching in genital area were 2.12 times more likely to have poor practice about genital hygiene compared to those who had not experienced itching. [AO.R. (C.I.) 2.12(1.25-3.89)]. Conclusions: The findings showed that the adolescents had inadequate knowledge which had led to poor genital hygiene practices. Awareness regarding the need for information about good genital hygiene practices is very important.