The Knowledge, Pattern and Practice of Menstrual Hygiene among Female Secondary School Students in Ogbomoso, South-west Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Adolescent girls in developing countries may lack appropriate information, means
or materials, and access to the right sanitary facilities to manage menstruation. Hence, they have
adopted unsafe hygienic practices during menstruation that in turn have a negative impact on
their health and education. Aim: Thus, this study aimed to assess the pattern and practices of
menstrual hygiene and its associated factors among secondary school girls in Ogbomoso.
Methodology: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2022 among
secondary school girls. A total of 460 girls were selected randomly and interviewed using a
structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was employed to
identify predictors of good menstrual hygiene management practices. Results: Overall, 76.3% of
the girls had satisfactory menstrual hygiene management practices. (88%) of them used
commercial sanitary pads as absorbent, 56.4% changed sanitary materials more than three times
a day, 22% of them experienced restrictions and 68.3% cleaned their external genitalia daily
during their menstruation. 37.1% of the respondents reused the absorbent material and 86.8 used
soap and water to wash the absorbent material being reused, while 58.9% dried the absorbent
materials indoors. 51% of the respondents change the absorbent material thrice a day and above
70% change in the bathroom. The majority of the respondents disposed of the absorbent
material by burning (64.8%) while 27.9% disposed of the materials in the toilet. Conclusion: In
this study, the practice of proper menstrual hygiene management of secondary schoolgirls was
quite satisfactory when compared with findings in previous studies in the same geographical
area. The majority of the respondents had mothers with tertiary education and these mothers
were mainly responsible for the provision of information about menstruation and its hygiene
management. Hence, it is important to state that the role of mothers, their level of education and
the information about menstrual hygiene cannot be overemphasized as it pertains to knowledge
of menstruation and the practice of menstrual hygiene.