Still Grappling With Menstrual Hygiene: Explaining Uptake By Socio-Cultural Factors Among School Going Girls in Kenya

Abstract

Globally, approximately 52% of the female population (26% of the total population) is of reproductive age. Most of these women and girls will menstruate each month for between two to seven days. Menstrual hygiene is an important part of the basic hygiene, sanitation, and reproductive health services to which every woman and girl has a right. Most girls lack adequate information on menarche, puberty, and Menstrual Hygiene Management. This predisposes them to reproductive tract infections. This study sought to establish the socio-cultural factors influencing the adoption of menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls in public secondary schools in Malindi Sub County. The study adopted a cross-sectional analytical. Data was collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The study established that most of the school-going adolescents in Malindi Subcounty (64%) have good menstrual hygiene practices. The socio-cultural factors influencing menstrual hygiene practices include cultural expectations, provisions, restrictions and cultural significance, religious restrictions and parent’s levels of education (P>0.05). Future studies could investigate the influence of structural factors both in the general environment, the school and the households where these adolescents come from. The study also recommends awareness drives on the importance of menstrual hygiene among adolescents and the development and implementation of policies on menstrual hygiene practices.