Knowledge, attitude and practice related to reproductive health among female adolescents

Abstract

Objective: Reproductive health (RH) is a crucial aspect of general health; it is a reflection of health during adolescence and adulthood. The period of adolescence in females is a period of physical and psychological preparation for safe motherhood. As direct reproducers, adolescent girls' health influences not only their own health but also the health of the future generation. This study aimed to assess knowledge, hygiene practices during menses, and attitudes of female adolescents in Riyadh female secondary schools regarding RH aspects. Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional design was used for this study conducted on 350 female students selected from governmental secondary schools in Riyadh using multistage random sample type. Two tools were used for data collection in the current study: a self-administered questionnaire and an Attitudinal Assessment scale. Results: The findings showed that more than two-thirds (66.3%) of the participants had inaccurate knowledge, while about one-third (33.7%) of them had correct knowledge regarding RH. With respect to overall hygiene practices during menstruation, about 95.4% had correct menstruation hygiene practice, while only 4.6% had incorrect practices. The majority (88.3%) of students had positive attitudes regarding RH, while only 11.7% had negative attitudes. Mothers are a vital source of information regarding RH. Conclusions: The present study concluded that female adolescents had unsatisfactory knowledge, inadequate hygiene practices, and positive attitudes toward RH. It is recommended to improve adolescents' knowledge regarding RH issues and involve their parents and teachers to provide appropriate education related to RH issues.

Knowledge on, Attitude towards, and Practice of Sexual and Reproductive Health among Older Adolescent Girls in Bangladesh: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study

“…This is because daughters have a trustworthy relationship with their mothers due to gender homogeneity [ 20 ]. Similarly, Gaferi et al [ 21 ] also explained the result of good communication between mothers and daughters by the fact that many mothers are being educated nowadays. Furthermore, Kumar and Srivastava [ 22 ] claimed that educated Indian mothers are not hesitant to talk about SRH issues, including menstruation, with their daughters.…”

“…Various types of restrictions related to menstruation also exist in other countries, such as India, Nepal, and Saudi Arabia [ 19 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. The restrictions also include not serving food and attending guests [ 22 , 23 ], food restrictions [ 21 , 22 , 27 ], religious practices [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 27 ], sleeping on the bed or sitting on the sofa [ 22 ], and physical exercise [ 21 , 22 ]. In Bangladesh, the conventional practice rooted in the conservative socio-cultural structure has taught women that their desires, dreams, pains, aspirations, sorrows, and joys can never be expressed outside the home or in public.…”

<p>Exploration of Lifestyle Choices, Reproductive Health Knowledge, and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Among Female Emirati University Students</p>

“…However, sexual and reproductive health are considered to be socially sensitive issues in the Gulf regions. 10 organs. Reproductive health (RH) knowledge was unsatisfactory, as 66.3% of the participants had incorrect knowledge.…”

“…9 Consequently, awareness about infertility and disorders such as PCOS may be low among Arab teenagers. 10 Studies conducted in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait have reported PCOS prevalence rate of 6-9%. 11 However, no conclusive study indicating its prevalence or awareness of such a condition among Emirati women of UAE has been reported.…”

Audio-visual media to improve sexual-reproduction health knowledge among adolescent

“…The adolescent has to educate in the early stage to protect their body and future from the improper social intercourse such as turn to the free sexual behavior, child marriage, sexual out of marriage, and sexual without protection that put them at risk to dangerous disease like HIV/AIDS. Improper knowledge about reproductive health among adolescents was not only found in Indonesia, a study in Riyadh reported that more than 60% of adolescents had inaccurate knowledge [19]. Audiovisual media, both online and offline, was proved as an effective media to deliver information to adolescents [20,21].…”