Assessment of Menstrual Hygiene Management Among Karamojong Adolescent Girls in Rupa Sub-County, Moroto District

Abstract

Background: Menstrual hygiene and management is insufficiently acknowledged since it has not received adequate attention, in most cases because it is considered a private issue that's rarely open to discussion making it difficult for girls to manage their periods. This leaves them at high risk of contracting diseases related to poor menstrual management.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques was conducted in Rupa Sub-County, Moroto district between August and October 2016 and a total of 133 adolescent girls were interviewed. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Odd ratios tests were used for analysis to assess the menstrual hygiene management.

Results: Mean age of respondents was 17.03±2.121 years; respondents going to school were 5.9 times more likely to practice safe menstrual hygiene management (p-value 0.000), half (50.4%) of the adolescent girls had no education (p-value 0.000), 38.3 % of the girls did not know what to do during menstruation (p-value 0.000), respondents who agreed that it is ideal to bath at least twice during menstruation were 2.9 times more likely to practice safe menstrual hygiene management (p-vaue-0.024), less than half (28.6%) of the respondents were not sure whether it is hygienic to use material for less than 6 hours during menstruation (p-value 0.000), while slightly three quarters (61.7%) of adolescent girls used old rags during menstruation, 48.1% of the respondents agreed that there are cultural factors attached to menstrual hygiene management (0.000).

Conclusion: Menstrual hygiene management is still a very big challenge among adolescent girls in Moroto district; various factors were identified to affect menstrual behaviors most influential being lack of adequate knowledge, Socio-economic status of participants and cultural factors.

Keywords: Adolescent, Menarche, Menstruation, Menstrual hygiene, Taboos, Safe menstrual & unsafe menstrual practices.