Menstrual Hygiene Management Practices and Associated Factors among Primary Second Cycle Female Students in Boset District of East Shoa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

<i>Background</i>: In adolescents who experienced menstruation for the first time, menstrual hygiene management is constrained by practical, social, economic, and cultural factors such as the expense of commercial sanitary pads, lack of water and latrine facilities, lack of private rooms for changing sanitary pads, and limited education about the facts of menstrual hygiene. Therefore the Objective of this study is to menstrual hygiene management practices and associated factors among primary second-cycle female students in Boset district of east Shoa zone, Oromia regional state, central Ethiopia from March 28, 2022, to April 28, 2022. Methods: School-based cross-sectional study was conducted by multistage random sampling technique among 629 female students from the Primary second cycle. Data were collected using Self-administered pre-tested and semi-structured questionnaires. The data were coded, checked for completeness, entered into Epi-Info-7, and then exported to SPSS Version 22 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression with Crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% CI was calculated, and p-values <0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. <i>Results</i>: The overall proportion of good menstrual hygiene management practices account for 51.2% (95% CI: 47.4–55.3). This study found that: being urban residence [AOR]: 1.84, 95% CI: (1.20, 2.80)], secondary and above the educational status of mothers [AOR]: 3.399, 95% CI: (2.07,5.57)], receiving pocket money for modes [AOR]: 2.19, 95% CI: (1.45,3.313)], freely discussing menstruation with parents [AOR]: 3.65, 95% CI: (2.327,5.727)], learning in school about menstrual hygiene [AOR]: 3.12, 95% CI: (2.096,4.628)], presence of water supply in school compound [AOR]: 1.71, 95% CI: (1.15,2.53)] and presence of functional toilets and hand washing facilities [AOR]: 1.789, 95% CI: (1.17,2.73] were significant predictors of Menstrual Hygiene Management Practices. Conclusion: In this study, the practice of good menstrual hygiene management among primary second-cycle school girls was low. Factors independently influencing menstrual hygiene management practices were girls’ place of residence, mothers’ educational status, pocket money, discussions with parents, water supplies, functional toilets, and hand washing facilities. Hence students’ parents should give pocket money and freely discuss with their female students and also government and other stakeholders should take action to improve and sustain water supply, functional toilets, and hand washing facilities for schools.