Abstract
Improving the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of adolescent girls is one of the primary aims of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adequate and accurate knowledge, a favorable attitude, safe behavior, and regular practice contribute to adolescent girls’ SRH, maternal health, and child health. Considering this, this study aims to explore the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of SRH among college-going older adolescent girls in Chittagong district, Bangladesh. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in four colleges among the older adolescent girl age group of 16–17 years old (N = 792) attending a higher secondary grade in Chittagong district. Data were collected using a structured and self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analyses were used to summarize the SRH-related KAP and identify the associated factors, respectively. The level of knowledge about puberty, family planning, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS was not satisfactory among the older adolescent girls. Different myths are common in the rural area with regards to menstruation, which impose several restrictions on adolescent girls and adult women. Standardized coefficients of beta (β) and p value < 0.05 in linear regression analyses demonstrated that being a student of the science group (β = 0.29, p < 0.001) and reading about or watching SRH issues on media (β = 0.21, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with older adolescent girls’ high level of knowledge in this regard. Furthermore, being a student of the science group (β = 0.17, p < 0.001), urban residence (β = 0.20, p < 0.001), regular SRH communication (at least once a month) with a mother/sister/friend (β = 0.10, p = 0.003), and reading or watching any SRH content on media (β = 0.22, p < 0.001) appeared as predictors of adolescent girls’ positive attitude towards SRH issues. Moreover, being a student of the science group (β = 0.07, p = 0.048), urban residence (β = 0.22, p < 0.001), regular SRH discussions with a mother/sister/friend (β = 0.09, p = 0.005), pre-knowledge on periods before menarche (β = 0.12, p < 0.001), and reading or watching any SRH content on media (β = 0.18, p < 0.001) are the most important factors influencing a regular hygienic practice of SRH. This study suggests strengthening SRH-related comprehensive education programs incorporated into the curriculum, the effective use of mass media, and supplying behavioral change communication materials.
Highlights
Adolescence, a near-universal period of the socialization cycle, is characterized as a phase of human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood and includes individuals between the ages of 10 and 19 [1]
Our study demonstrates that that majority of older adolescent girls did not have prior knowledge of menstruation while experiencing menarche
Bano and Al Sabhan [18] found that 62.5% of girls who studied at a university in Saudi Arabia where religious conservativeness exists, like in Bangladesh, were not aware of this natural phenomenon until menarche, while Hakem et al [19] revealed that in India, 59.6% of non-government school girls aged 13–19 years knew about the menstrual cycle before menarche, while 48.8% of government school girls had such knowledge
Summary
Adolescence, a near-universal period of the socialization cycle, is characterized as a phase of human growth and development that occurs after childhood and before adulthood and includes individuals between the ages of 10 and 19 [1]. Bangladesh has a large adolescent population of approximately 36 million, which means that more than one-fifth of the total population is between the ages of 10 and 19 [3]. According to the population census of 2011, among the adolescent population, about 49% are girls [4]. This population will continue to increase according to population projections [5]. In Bangladesh, the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) status of the adolescent population, including those who are unmarried and married, remains an area of significant concern
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