MENSTRUAL HEALTH KNOWLEDGE AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN SOUTHEASTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Background:- Menstrual hygiene management is a critical aspect of reproductive health, particularly for women and girls who are vulnerable to reproductive tract infections during menstruation. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene among secondary school girls in Nnewi, South-Eastern Nigeria. This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to determine the knowledge of menstrual hygiene among secondary school girls in Nnewi, South-Eastern Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to investigate the sources of information on menstrual hygiene, the level of knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene, and the associations between these variables. Methodology: - The study employed a multistage sampling technique to select 320 female secondary school students in Nnewi, South-Eastern Nigeria. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and analysed using SPSS V.22. Statistical associations between variables were tested using Chi square at p-value < 0.05. Results:- The study found that 65.6% of the respondents were in the 14-17 years age group, and 91.3% had heard of menstruation prior to menarche. Most respondents (63.4%) reported receiving information on menstrual hygiene from their mothers, followed by school (27.1%), friends/peers (7.5%), and media sources (1.4%). The study revealed that 88.8% of the respondents had good knowledge of menstrual hygiene, and 92.5% had good practices of menstrual hygiene. There were statistically significant associations between the level of knowledge and the practice of menstrual hygiene (p < 0.01), as well as between age and year of study and the practice of menstrual hygiene (p < 0.01). Conclusion:- This study highlights the importance of mothers as a primary source of information on menstrual hygiene for secondary school girls in Nnewi, South-Eastern Nigeria. The study also reveals high levels of knowledge and good practices of menstrual hygiene among secondary school girls in the region. These findings have implications for the development of effective menstrual hygiene education programs that can be tailored to the specific needs and contexts of secondary school girls in Nnewi and other similar regions.