Menstruation practice among school and out-of-school adolescent girls, Lao PDR

Abstract

Background: The transition from childhood to adolescence is a critical transitional period for girls, and as they experience these changes, having knowledge of, and being able to practice, good menstruation hygiene management is crucial. The objective of this study was to understand in and out of school adolescents' menstrual hygiene management practice, sources of information and attitudes towards menstruation. Methods: A cross sectional, descriptive study was conducted between November 2018 and May 2019. The sampling included adolescent girls aged 11-19 years in higher secondary schools in Khammouane and Champassak provinces and out-of-school adolescent girls. Out of the total number of 433 participants enrolled in the study, only 343 girls had reached menarche and were included in the study. Factors associated with menstruation hygiene management practice were examined with bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Out of 343 subjects who had reached menarche, 44% reported good menstrual hygiene management practice. Over half of the participants, however, were unable to access the tools of good menstruation hygiene management practice, including having somewhere to dispose of used sanitary pads in private. Being older (16-19 years) (AOR:2.4; 95%CI 1.4 to 3.9), and having primary education (AOR 0.4; 95%CI 0.2 to 0.9) were associated with good practice as was fathers' level of education (AOR 2.1; 95%CI 1.0 to 4.1) and mother-girl discussion about menstruation (AOR 2.2; 95%CI 1.0 to 5.0). No significant differences were found between in-and out-of-school adolescents. Conclusions: In this study, not all participants were able to practice optimal menstruation hygiene management. This is important as good menstrual hygiene management is associated with better health and being able to participate fully in education and work. Further education is needed, but it is also important to ensure that all adolescent girls have access to the necessary tools for effective menstruation hygiene management.

Navigating fear, shyness, and discomfort during menstruation in Cambodia

“…This and prior studies [17] have shown that MHM challenges and FSD associated with menstruation can impact girls' participation in school or communal activities. The structured interviews and focus groups used for this study's data collection yielded valuable insights about those challenges, as well as girls' resilience and resourcefulness to better navigate their M&MHM.…”

“…When girls encountered MHM challenges due to lack of managerial resources, adequate MHM knowledge, or reassuring social support, girls described experiencing fear, shyness, and discomfort (FSD) during their menstruation. Prior studies in countries such as Zambia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Ghana, India, and Lao have also identified FSD as a widespread concern for many adolescent girls associated with M&MHM challenges [4,8,9,13,16,17]. The girls' individual reported MHM outcomes and experiences of FSD were influenced by supports and challenges on multiple levels of the SEM framework, such that interpersonal, communal, and societal level vulnerabilities and strengths directly impacted girls' perceived self-efficacy and ability to navigate their MHM.…”

“…Key findings included an expressed need for more privacy in and around latrines, and provision of sanitary materials and water in latrines; these studies have also noted the need for more MHM and health education, especially prior to onset of menarche [14][15][16]. Research on MHM in other areas of Southeast Asia have included investigating menstruation practices among school and out-of-school adolescent girls in Lao PDR [17] and a larger survey of MHM-related needs in the East Asia and Pacific regions [18]. While giving particular attention to WaSH-related needs, these studies also confirmed the need to further investigate psychosocial factors impacting women and girls during menstruation.…”

Multimedia-based group guidance in assisting children reaching puberty in Central Lombok

“…Menarche is the first menstrual cycle or first menstrual bleeding in women. Ironically, the speed of menstruation will cause gaps in three aspects of growth, namely biological, psychological, and social (Chinyama et al, 2019;MacRae et al, 2019;Phillips-Howard et al, 2016;Sychareun et al, 2020). Menarche is also considered to trigger the risk of breast cancer (Djannah & Solikhah, 2019) because it is influenced by a progesterone cycle of 6.4 nmol/liter (2.0 ng/ml) which is contemplated to indicate an anovulatory cycle (Liu et al, 2020).…”

The Effect of Counseling about Vulva Hygiene During Menstruation on the Level of Knowledge of Adolescent

“…iIUpaya iIyang iIdapat iIditerapkan iIdalam iImenjaga iIkesehatan iIreproduksi iIyaitu iIdengan iImelakukan iIperawatan iIsaat iImenstruasi iIyang iIsering iIdikenal iIdengan iIvulva iIhygiene. iIVulva iIhygiene iImerupakan iItindakan iImembersihkan iIdan iImerawat iIorgan iIreproduksi iIwanita iIbagian iIluar iIdengan iItujuan iImemastikan iIorgan iIkewanitaan iIbagian iIluar iIbersih iIdan iIsehat iIserta iImencegah iIterjadinya iIinfeksi (Juwitasari et al, 2020;Roeckel et al, 2019;Sychareun et al, 2020). (Augesti & Daryanti, 2020;Daulay et al, 2022;Holmes et al, 2021).…”