Menstrual knowledge and practices amongst secondary school girls in lle lfe, Nigeria

Abstract

The menstrual knowledge and practices of 352 randomly selected healthy Nigerian schoolgirls were studied. 187 (53.1%) had attained menarche. 40% of subjects were deficient in knowledge about menstruation. Although menstrual knowledge was higher in post-menarcheal girls, 10% of these were totally ignorant about menses and 84% were not psychologically prepared for the first menses. Girls' menstrual knowledge was positively associated with parental education. The major source of menstrual information was the family. Although more than half of the girls menstruated regularly, 66.3%, used insanitary materials as menstrual absorbent. The mean duration of menstrual flow was 4.32 +/- 1.15 days (mean +/- SD) with a range of 3-7 days in 95.2% of the study population. There is an acute need for education and psychological preparation of girls for menstruation well ahead of menarche.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Communication Between Mothers and Their Adolescent Daughters in Northern Nigeria

“…This is not surprising, as a higher proportion of the daughters attended formal schools with strong peer influence. A lower figure was reported among secondary school students in Ile-Ife, southwest Nigeria (33.7%; Abioye-Kuteyi, 2000), while in Nepal almost all respondents (94%) used sanitary pads (Adhikari, Kadel, Dhungel, & Mandal, 2007).…”

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice about menstruation and menstrual hygiene among secondary high school girls in Ogbomoso, Oyo state, Nigeria

“…This was similar to findings of a study conducted by AbioyeKuteyi and Adinma et al in Onitsha Nigeria that revealed that unsanitary absorbent materials were used during menses. 27,9 This findings might be due to high level of poverty in this environment as majority of the respondents' parents and guidians were not gainfully employed. Good menstrual hygiene practice include safe and sanitary disposal of absorbent materials used during menses.…”

Water, sanitation, and primary school attendance: A multi-level assessment of determinants of household-reported absence in Kenya

“…The correspondence of increased absence with pubertal age should also be considered. Although onset of menarche is generally assumed to have an impact on educational outcomes (Abioye-Kuteyi, 2000;Ali and Rizvi, 2009;Scott et al, 2009;Sommer, 2009), studies which have documented this relationship have found conflicting results. A randomized trial in Nepal providing re-usable menstrual cups found that girls receiving the intervention were no more likely than their counterparts to attend school during their periods; however, the authors did not consider availability of water and sanitation in their trial (Oster and Thornton, 2010).…”