Knowledge and menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls in primary schools in Narok South Sub County, Narok County, Kenya

Abstract

Objective: to examine the understanding and menstrual hygiene practices among adolescents’ girls in Narok South sub county, Kenya.
Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study.
Setting: Primary schools.
Subject/participants: 380 adolescent girls aged 10-14.
Interventions: The study included menstruating girls, excluding those with medical conditions. A three-stage sampling process was used. Data were collected via structured questionnaires and Water Sanitation and Hygiene- WASH checklists. Analysis involved descriptive and Chi-square tests. Consent was obtained from parents and children assented to the study.
Result: 348 (91.8%) of participants demonstrated good knowledge of menstrual hygiene practices. 358 (94.2%) used sanitary pads while 371 (97.6%) changed absorbents at school, with three changes being the most common 154 (40.5%). Nearly all respondents 370 (97.4%) cleaned their genital areas during menstruation, primarily using plain water 191 (50.3%) or soap and water 131 (34.5%). Only 63 (16.7%) of the primary schools had dedicated changing rooms for girls, and 127 (33.3%) had accessible sanitary materials. Significant associations were observed between the class of participants (p = .001), age of menarche (p = .004), handwashing practices (p = .000), frequency and materials used for cleaning genitals (p = .000 and p = .008, respectively), and the level of knowledge on menstrual hygiene. However, no significant relationships were found between age (p = .361), type of school (p = .614), family affordability (p = .129), sources of information (p = .429), or types of sanitary materials used (p = .935) and the level of knowledge.
Conclusion: Increase access to affordable menstrual hygiene products and improve sanitation infrastructure, including dedicated changing rooms and adequate water supply in schools.