Puberty to womanhood module: an Interprofessional approach for reproductive health education among adolescent schoolgirls

Background: The experience of menarche is often confusing and causes ambivalence among adolescent girls due to their lack of information on the menstruation cycle and menstrual vaginal bleeding. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of menstruation and menstruation hygiene in Afghanistan. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using a survey questionnaire administered from 10 March 2021 to 15 April 2021 among secondary school girls in Herat, Afghanistan. It evaluated their knowledge of menstruation and menstrual hygiene practices. 768 girls responded to the survey. Data was encoded and statistically analysed using SPSS. Results: 53.3% of girls surveyed had a good knowledge of menstruation and menstrual hygiene. 15.9% of girls surveyed who did not experience menarche showed a good knowledge score. In terms of practice, 32.9% took a rest and missed school during menstrual bleeding. 2.1% of the participants mentioned that teachers were the first source of information on menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Conclusion: Knowledge of menstruation and menstrual hygiene among girls surveyed was lower than in other countries. Awareness campaigns regarding menstruation and menstrual hygiene are recommended. It is suggested to add a subject on these for secondary school girls to learn more and encourage them to openly discuss among themselves.

Mapping the Expertise and Understanding of Menarche, Menstrual Hygiene, and Menstrual Health among Adolescent Ladies in Low- and Center-Profit Nations

The perception and appropriate hygiene practices of girls towards menstruation is closely linked with their level of knowledge and beliefs. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge on menstruation and hygienic practices among adolescent school girls in an urban city, Nigeria. The study was a cross sectional survey and a total 122 girls from 4 out of the 9 schools’ were recruited using a multistage sampling technique to select the schools, and systematic sampling method proportionate to size (proportion of total study unit accounted by each school) after a random selection of the first respondent, using the list of students as the sampling frame and sampling interval of 30. Overall, a total of 79 (65%) of the respondents had high knowledge. 15% of respondents’ indicated their major source of information on menstruation from their school teachers. There is a significant gap in knowledge and with minimal role played by the school environment to provide appropriate information during their formative years. The ages of the respondents (P = 0.93), education of their mothers (P = 0.173) and the sources of information regarding menstruation (P = 0.575) were found not to be statistically significant with respect to the knowledge of menstruation while there was a statistically significant relationship between religion (P = 0.0001) and level of study of the girls and knowledge of menstruation (P = 0.048) Concerning the practice of menstrual hygiene, the majority 106 (87%) of the girls used sanitary pads, only. There was a significant statistically association between education of their mothers (P = 0.015), religion (P = 0.0001) and occupation of respondents mother (P = 0.0028) with respect to the reported menstrual hygiene practices. Hence the need for targeted systematic information to adolescent through curriculum reviews towards better knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene. Key words: Menstruation, adolescence, secondary school, menstrual hygiene.

Background: The periodic shedding of the lining of a woman’s uterus is referred to as Menstruation, or a menstrual period. Over a period of three to five days, the uterine lining breaks down into a bloody substance. It then passes down through the cervix and exits through the vagina. Menstrual health knowledge is regarded as having knowledge of what menstruation is and the need for effective management of health during menstruation and proper menstrual hygiene management. This study seeks to assess the knowledge and practice of menstrual health and hygiene and availability of resources for effective menstrual hygiene management among young people in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among 169 young males and females of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Theological Seminary, Jos, North, Plateau State, Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used in this study and data was collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0. Findings: Majority of 70 (41.4%) respondents fall within the age range of 20 - 24 years old, 64 (37.9%) were within 25 - 29 years. There were more females (96, 56.8%) than males (73, 43.2%). Twenty (11.8%) were married, 149 (88.2%) were single. More than three quarters (78.1%) had good knowledge of Menstrual Hygiene. Of this, 64.4% are males and 88.5% are females. 18.3% of respondents had fair knowledge. Of this, 30.1% are males and 9 (9.4%) are females. 6 (3.6%) of respondent’s had poor knowledge of menstrual hygiene (4 (5.5%) of males and 2 (92.1%)) of females). Two-thirds of the female respondents had good practice of menstrual hygiene, while a third of the respondents had the poor practice of menstrual hygiene. Conclusion: There was good knowledge and practice of menstruation and menstrual hygiene among young people. Knowledge influences practice and the perception of young people to sensitive concepts like menstrual health and hygiene management. Reproductive health programs that reflect this should be taught in schools and communities.

Introduction: Menstrual health is a critical aspect of adolescent well-being, yet knowledge and practices surrounding menstruation can vary significantly, especially in culturally diverse settings. Despite its undeniable significance, the nuanced landscape of adolescent menstrual hygiene practices remains obscured. The transition from childhood to adolescence is a transformative period marked by physical, emotional, and psychological changes, and understanding the intricacies of menstrual hygiene within this context is imperative. The study assesses menstrual hygiene knowledge and practice among adolescents in the Tamale Metropolis. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of schoolgirls in the Northern Region of Ghana. A total of 363 adolescent schoolgirls were recruited using multistage sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect the data from the respondents. A significance level of p < 0.05 was employed to establish statistical significance. Results: The study found that 90.9% of respondents recognized menstruation as a natural process, and 82.1% understood hormonal changes cause it. However, only 57.3% knew the typical duration of menstruation. Most girls (87.1%) identified the vagina as the source of menstrual blood, and 85.1% had prior knowledge of menstruation. While 95.6% used absorbent materials, and 87.3% used sanitary pads, some practices, such as improper storage and disposal of used pads, were identified. The study established a significant association between overall knowledge about menstruation and age (X2=7.96, p=0.019), class of respondents (X2=11.03, p=0.036), and ethnicity (X2=15.4, p=0.002). The respondents mentioned the following as religious factors that could affect MHM: 85.7% mentioned prohibition from touching the holy books (Bible or Qur’an), 70.5% mentioned visiting religious places, 19.8% mentioned prohibition on attending religious ceremonies, and 18.2% mentioned others. Conclusion: Most schoolgirls demonstrated good foundational knowledge and hygiene practices regarding menstruation. However, gaps remain in knowledge about menstrual duration and hygiene practices. Cultural factors and demographic variables also influence menstrual knowledge.

Background: Menstruation, a unique phenomenon is a part of the female reproductive cycle starts when girls become sexually mature at the time of puberty. It is the most important physical change occurring among girls. Menstrual hygiene management is an important issue for adolescent girls due to lack of experience and lack of required information in parents in managing the related issues of menstrual cycle. Objectives: The overall objective of the study was to assess knowledge, attitude and practices of menstrual hygiene among rural adolescent school girls. Materials and Methods: A total sample of 210 adolescent school girls was taken. Probablility cluster sampling was used. Semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was provided to assess knowledge attitude and practices of menstrual hygiene. Ethical approval was taken from Sanjeevani College of Medical Sciences. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 14.17±1.25 years ranging from age 11 to 17 years. The mean age at menarche was 12.47±1.02 years. More than two third of the respondent (67.1%) had faced physical symptoms of abdominal and back pain at menarche. Mean days of interval for occurrence of menstruation and average duration of menstruation flow was 32.14±7.47 days and 5.49±1.59 days. All of the respondents (100%) answered cleaning of genital during menstruation. Conclusion: Menstrual hygiene is one of the important aspects in every women life. Although knowledge and practices of hygiene was good but there is still deep rooted social and cultural taboos in the society. So, there is a need of effective interventions to address the restrictions.

Background: Menstrual hygiene management is a critical yet often neglected component of adolescent health, particularly in settings where cultural taboos and limited health education restrict open discussion. Inadequate knowledge and poor hygienic practices during menstruation can contribute to adverse health outcomes, psychological distress, and reduced school participation among adolescent girls. Structured health education has been proposed as an effective strategy to address these gaps, though evidence documenting its impact on actual hygiene practices remains limited. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a structured health education intervention on menstrual hygiene knowledge, attitudes, and practices among adolescent girls. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre–post intervention study was conducted among 60 adolescent schoolgirls aged 13–17 years in Central Punjab. Baseline data on menstrual knowledge, attitudes, and hygiene practices were collected using a structured, pretested questionnaire. Participants then received a standardized health education program focusing on menstrual physiology, hygienic practices, and myth correction. Post-intervention assessments were conducted using the same tools. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and Pearson correlation analysis. Results: Significant improvements were observed across all outcome measures following the intervention. Mean knowledge scores increased from 9.4 ± 2.1 to 14.8 ± 1.7 (p < 0.001), while mean hygiene practice scores improved from 11.2 ± 2.5 to 16.3 ± 2.0 (p < 0.001). Positive attitudinal changes were also noted. A moderate positive correlation was found between post-intervention knowledge and hygiene practice scores (r = 0.52, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The structured health education intervention was effective in improving menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls. These findings support the integration of comprehensive menstrual health education into school-based adolescent health programs to promote healthier behaviors and well-being.

Menstruation is a normal physiological process in females, and a lack of knowledge and understanding about it can lead to unsafe hygienic practices. This study aimed to assess sociodemographic and menstrual factors that affect the knowledge, attitude and practices of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls. This cross-sectional study was done among adolescent school girls in Eastern Uttar Pradesh for nine months using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. It consisted of five sections on sociodemographic, menstrual, knowledge, attitude and practice-related questions. Knowledge, attitude and practice-related questions scored one mark for each correct response. Those who scored >50% and ≤50% in each of the sections were categorised into acceptable and unacceptable. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20. The mean age at menarche was 13.11 (1.14) years. Acceptable scores in the knowledge, attitude and practice sections were obtained by 63.1%, 47.7% and 44.1% of girls, respectively. Living with parents and higher education of mothers was associated with acceptable menstrual hygiene knowledge, attitude and practices. Older age of girls and urban residences were associated with acceptable menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices. Girls with acceptable knowledge and those living in nuclear families had acceptable menstrual hygiene practices. Lower age, not living with parents, rural residence and mother's lower education were all significant predictors of poor menstrual hygiene practices. There is a need to develop awareness campaigns and programsfor adolescent girls to improve their menstrual hygiene practices.

Objective : To assess the hygienic practices during menstruation among adolescent school girls in selected secondary rural schools.Methods : This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from November to December, 2015. Study area was selected on choice were four upazilas of Kishoreganj, Lakshmipur, Barguna and Sirajganj District. From the study area 15 schools were selected on the basis of convenience and accessibility. Data were collected from 438 purposively selected adolescent unmarried school girls aged 15-18 years and studying in class IX and X, through face to face interview by pretested questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using software SPSS version 20.Results : The result of the study revealed that majority (52%) participants were using cloths and 48.4% were using sanitary napkin for menstrual hygiene management. About half of the participants got the information about menstrual and reproductive health from family members. Thirty five percent (35%) girls do not attend school during first two days of menstruation. Majority (69%) of the girls never change pad and 45% complained about unavailability of water at school. However, knowledge of reproductive health issues like minimum age at marriage (18yrs, 85.8%), minimum age of child birth (20yrs, 89%) and need for extra nutrition during pregnancy (99.0%) was quite satisfactory. The level of maternal education and economic condition were significantly associated with sanitary napkin use.Conclusion : The study revealed that higher percentage of participants was not using sanitary napkins, although their knowledge regarding menstrual and reproductive health issues is satisfactory. Implementation of school health programs for adolescents should emphasis on menstrual hygiene management.Northern International Medical College Journal Vol.7(2) Jan 2016: 139-142

Background: Adolescent girls face major menstrual hygiene challenges due to limited awareness, poor sanitation, cultural restrictions, and scarce resources in Pakistan, leading to unhygienic practices, stress, school absenteeism, and inadequate support during menarche. Objective: This study aimed to assess adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding menstrual hygiene, and to explore socioeconomic, cultural, and infrastructural factors influencing their behavior. A secondary objective was to determine the association between menstrual knowledge and hygienic practices. Methods: The study is cross-sectional descriptive study with six months in Maternal and Child Health Department at PUMHSW, Nawabshah. Stratified random sampling was used to recruit three hundred girls between age 12 and 19 years. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data by addressing the demographic, knowledge of menstruation, hygiene behavior, cultural norms, and perceived barriers. The correlation between knowledge and hygiene practices was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation. Results: The average age of the participants was 15.6. Only a quarter of them showed proper menstrual knowledge. The use of sanitary pads was found to be at 58% with 28% depending on cloth. Almost half replaced its absorbent less than three times a day. Absenteeism by school during menstruating occurred in 39%. Affordability, privacy, school sanitation, and cultural limitations were among the major barriers. The more menstrual knowledge, the better hygiene practices (r = 0.41, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Major discrepancies in menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices by adolescent girls are evident in Nawabshah. Completing schooling, lowering the price of menstrual supplies, enhancing sanitation facilities and tackling cultural taboos will be key to improving menstrual health and physical well-being.

Objectives: To assess menstrual hygiene practices in Aandhi village, Rajasthan, and evaluate the impact of educational interventions on menstrual health. Material and Methods: A survey was conducted with 3290 males, 2994 females, and 242 senior citizens using structured questionnaires. Educational interventions promoting hygienic menstrual practices were implemented. Results: Findings revealed poor menstrual hygiene practices, with 75% disposing of products improperly. Post-intervention, there was a significant improvement in hygiene practices and awareness. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the need for better menstrual hygiene education, proper waste disposal systems, and access to sustainable menstrual products in rural India.

BackgroundMenstrual hygiene practices among visually impaired young girls are a significant public health concern in Rwanda. Limited knowledge about menstruation leads to inadequate hygiene practices, increasing the risk of cervical cancer, urinary tract infections, and reduced quality of life. The menstrual hygiene needs of visually impaired girls who depend on daily assistance for personal hygiene have not been adequately addressed in previous studies.ObjectivesTo assess the effect of an audio-recorded program on the knowledge and self-reported practices of menstruation hygiene among visually impaired young girls in Rwanda.MethodologyA pre-post mixed intervention study was conducted involving 93 visually impaired young girls from four specialized educational institutions. After obtaining consent and assent, baseline data were collected following an audio-recorded intervention. A pretested tool was used to measure participants’ knowledge and practices about menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Post-interventional data was collected, and paired t-tests were used to analyze changes in knowledge and practice scores. Qualitatively, focus group discussions were used to evaluate the perceived effect of the audio-recorded program. Qualitative data were organized by Dodoose software and analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsThe majority of participants (67.7%) were enrolled in secondary education level and lived in rural areas (76.3%), with the largest proportion (43%) being between the ages of 16 and 20 years. There was a significant increase in the knowledge of young visually impaired girls (p < 0.001) after the audio-recorded intervention program. There was a significant increase in the overall menstrual hygiene practice after the implementation of the audio-recorded program (p < 0.001). Qualitatively, four themes emerged from the study, including improved knowledge and abilities, boosted confidence, the convenience of audio, and the perceived need to increase audio effectiveness.ConclusionThe study revealed a significant association between the audio-recorded interventions and improved menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among visually impaired young girls. However, since the study utilized a pretest-posttest design, a randomized controlled trial is recommended for robust evidence.

The onset of menstruation denotes a landmark event in the pubertal development of the adolescent girl. Adolescent girls should have adequate knowledge of menstrual hygiene before menarche. Lack of adequate knowledge and good menstrual hygiene practices can have far-reaching consequences for a girl's well-being, dignity, reproductive health, and sexual health. Hygiene-related practices during menstruation are of considerable importance. This study assessed the knowledge and Practice of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in Ede South local government secondary schools, Ede, Osun State. This study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional study design. The study population was adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 19 who have attained menarche, using multi-stage sampling as the sampling technique. A structured questionnaire comprising three sections was used to elicit information from the respondents. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The result showed that the majority (62.6%) of the respondents were between 16 and 18 years old and had attained menarche at 13. Most respondents had heard about menstruation before menarche (85.0%), and mothers (79.1%) were the primary source of information. Most (89.70%) respondents had good knowledge of menstrual hygiene. Also, most (53.0%) respondents had good menstrual hygiene practices. In the test for the hypothesis, there is a significant association between sociodemographic characteristics such as tribe, class, age at menarche, and the Practice of menstrual hygiene. There is also a significant relationship between knowledge and Practice of menstrual hygiene (p = 0.017). This study concluded that the majority of the respondents had good knowledge as well as good practice regarding menstrual hygiene. Keywords: Menstrual Hygiene, Adolescents, Knowledge, Practice

Introduction: Adolescent girls face different physical conversions, sexual changes and psychological pressures associated with growth and maturity, menstruation being one of them. Menstruation is still clouded by taboos and socio-cultural restrictions resulting in ignorance of scientific facts and hygienic health practices. Since response to menstruation depends upon awareness and knowledge about issues, menstrual hygiene education has shown to be effective in improving health by developing good knowledge, attitude and practice among adolescent girls. Methods: An analytical study with one group pretest – posttest design was carried out to assess the effectiveness of structured teaching program on menstrual hygiene among 100 adolescent school girls studying in a public school in Palpa. Pretested semi structured questionnaire was used to assess knowledge and practice whereas valid MAQ (Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire) was used for attitude. This was followed by structured teaching program consisting of information on menstruation, myths and hygiene. Then a posttest was conducted after a week to the same respondents. Results: The study resulted in statistically significant improvements (P&lt;0.001) in total knowledge (63% to 66%), attitude (47% to 63%) and practice (43% to 49%) after implementation of the structured teaching program. There was positive correlation between knowledge and attitude scores (r=0.023), attitude and practice scores (r=0.026) and knowledge and practice scores (r=0.183). Conclusion: The structured teaching program is effective in improving knowledge, attitude and practice on menstrual hygiene among adolescent school girls. Thus, adding menstrual hygiene as part of curriculum may break the culture of silence.

BackgroundPoor personal hygiene and inadequate sanitation practices among young children leads to communicable diseases. There remains a gap in the holistic assessment of school children’s hygiene literacy, practices and effectiveness of school-based hygiene interventions in Pakistan. Therefore, a school-based intervention protocol has been designed to promote personal and environmental hygiene practices for primary school children. Towards improving children’s hygiene behaviors, the study will also focus on enhancing mothers' hygiene knowledge and practices.MethodsUsing quasi-experimental design with mixed methods data collection approaches, this study will be conducted in schools located in an urban squatter settlements in Pakistan. To assess primary grade children and their mothers‘ hygiene status, a survey will be held in the pre-intervention phase. This phase also includes qualitative exploration of key stakeholders (mothers, teachers, health & education authorities representatives’) perceptions about the factors facilitating and impeding the adaption of hygiene behaviors among school children. In-depth guides and focus group discussion tools will be used for this purpose. This will be followed by multi-component intervention phase with behavior change strategies to improve children‘s and mothers’ hygiene literacy and behaviors. The post-intervention phase will assess the intervention effectiveness in terms of enhancing hygiene knowledge and practices among school children and mothers, alongside exploration of mothers and teachers’ insights into whether or not the intervention has been effective in improving hygiene practices among children. Paired t-test will be applied pre and post-intervention to measure the differences between the mothers and children's hygiene literacy and knowledge scores. Similar test will be performed to assess the differences in children’s hygiene knowledge and practice scores, pre and post-intervention (< 50 = poor, 50–75 = good and > 75 = excellent). Thematic analysis will be carried out for qualitative data.DiscussionMulti-component intervention aimed at improving personal and environmental hygiene among primary school children offers an opportunity to design and test various behavioral change strategies at school and in home settings. The study findings will be significant in assessing the intervention’s effectiveness in improving children‘s overall hygiene.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03942523) on 5th May 2019.