Background:Approximately, half a million of adolescent girls in the world feel frustrated
during their monthly period due to poor menstrual hygiene practices. In the low-and-middle
income countries, about three-quarters of girls do not have access to clean sanitary
materials, and use low-quality products. In the Sub-Saharan African countries, menstruation
among school-age girls is a neglected issue. Poor menstrual hygiene practices expose adolescent
girls to reproductive organ infections, psychosocial stress, and poor school attendance. However, the available data concerning
challenges associated with menstrual hygiene among school girls in the remote
areas of Kenya remains unknown. Aim: To assess challenges associated with
menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls attending Bocharia Primary School in Nyamira
County, Kenya. Methods: The target population was grade 4 to 8 adolescent
girls (n = 111) aged 10-19 years. Hence, census method of sampling was used to include all the girls
in grade 4-8. Raw data was obtained using a Semi-structured questionnaire which was tested
by a representation of 11 girls (10% of the sample size) who had the same characteristics.
Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 with both descriptive and inferential statistics.
In descriptive
References
[1]
Winkler, I.T. and Roaf, V. (2014) Taking the Bloody Linen out of the Closet: Menstrual Hygiene as a Priority for Achieving Gender Equality. Cardozo JL & Gender, 21, 1.
[2]
Kaur, R., Kaur, K. and Kaur, R. (2018) Menstrual Hygiene, Management, and Waste Disposal: Practices and Challenges Faced by Girls/Women of Developing Countries. Journal of Environment and Public Health, 2018, Article ID: 1730964.
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2018/1730964
https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1730964
[3]
World Bank Group (2018) Menstrual Hygiene Management Enables Women and Girls to Reach Their Full Potential.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018/05/25/menstrual-hygiene-management
[4]
Shah, V., Helen, M., Nabwera, H.M., Sosseh, F., Jallow, Y., Comma, E., Keita, O. and Torondel, B. (2019) Knowledge, Preparedness and Practices of Menstruation and Its Management among Adolescents, Mothers and Teachers in the Rural Gambia. BMC Public Health, 19, Article No. 277.
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12889-019-6599-2
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6599-2
[5]
Korir, E., Okwara, F.N. and Okumbe, G. (2018) Menstrual Hygiene Management Practices among Primary School Girls from a Pastoralist Community in Kenya. The Pan African Medical Journal, 31, Article No. 222.
http://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/content/article/31/222/full/
https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2018.31.222.13521
[6]
Girod, C., Ellis, A., Karen, L.K., et al. (2017) Physical, Social, and Political Inequities Constraining Girls’ Menstrual Management at Schools in Informal Settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. Journal of Urban Health, 94, 835-846.
https://menstrualhygieneday.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Girod_et_al-Girls-constraints_Kenya_2017.pdf
[7]
Sommer, M., Caruso, B.A., et al. (2016) A Time for Global Action: Addressing Girls’ Menstrual Hygiene Management Needs in Schools. PLOS Medicine, 13, e1001962.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001962
[8]
Enzler, D.M. (2019) Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Concerning Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) of Adolescents in Rural Primary Schools in Malawi.
[9]
Fisseha, M.A., Kebede, Y., et al. (2017) Menstrual Hygiene Practice and Associated Factors among Secondary School Girls in Wegera District, Northwest Ethiopia; a Cross-Sectional Study. Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, 5, 6-11.
https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cbb.20170501.12
[10]
Kuhlmann, A.S., Henry, K., et al. (2017) Menstrual Hygiene Management in Resource-Poor Countries. Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey, 72, 356-376.
https://doi.org/10.1097/OGX.0000000000000443
[11]
Tamiru, S., Mamo, K., et al. (2015) Towards a Sustainable Solution for School Menstrual Hygiene Management: Cases of Ethiopia, Uganda, South-Sudan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Waterlines, 34, 92-102. https://doi.org/10.3362/1756-3488.2015.009
[12]
Education, P. Menstrual Hygiene Management (2014) UNESCO Digital Library. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris.
[13]
Murye, A.F. and Mamba, S.R. (2017) Practices of Managing Menstrual Hygiene by Girls in Public Boarding Secondary Schools—The Case of the Hhohho Region of Swaziland. Health Science Journal, 11, Article No. 534.
http://www.hsj.gr/medicine/practices-of-managing-menstrual-hygiene-by-girls-in-public-boarding-secondary-schools--the-case-of-the-hhohho-region-of-swaziland.php?aid=21411
https://doi.org/10.21767/1791-809X.1000534
[14]
Deshpande, T.N., Patil, S.S., Gharai, S.B., Patil, S.R. and Durgawale, P.M. (2018) Menstrual Hygiene among Adolescent Girls—A Study from the Urban Slum Area in India. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 7, 1439-1445.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6293884/
https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_80_18
[15]
Alam, M., Luby, S.P., Halder, A.K., Islam, K., Opel, A., Shoab, A.K., Ghosh, P.K., Rahman, M., Mahon, T. and Unicomb, L. (2016) Menstrual Hygiene Management among Bangladeshi Adolescent Schoolgirls and Risk Factors Affecting School Absence. BMJ Journals, 7, e015508. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015508
[16]
Shallo, S.A., Willi, W. and Abubekar, A. (2018) Menstrual Hygiene Management Practice and Factors Affecting It among High School Females in Ambo City, Oromia State, Ethiopia, 2018: A Cross-Sectional Mixed Method. 1-26.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/806422v1.full
[17]
Guya, E., Mayo, A.W. and Kimwaga, M.K. (2014) Menstrual Hygiene Management in Secondary Schools in Tanzania. Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study Design. International Journal of Science and Technology, 3, 27-40.
[18]
Aluko, O.O., Oluya, O.M., Olaleye, O.A., Olajuyin, A.O., Olabintan, T.F. and Oloruntoba-Oju, O.I. (2014) Knowledge and Menstrual Hygiene Practices among Adolescents in Senior Secondary Schools in Ile Ife, South-Western Nigeria. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 4, 248-256.
https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2014.084
[19]
Sampson, K. (2019) Menstrual Hygiene Management among Adolescent Girls in Kenya. Ballard Brief. https://www.ballardbrief.org
[20]
Phillips-Howard, P.A., Caruso, B., et al. (2016) Menstrual Hygiene Management among Adolescent Schoolgirls in Low-n and Middle-Income Countries: Research Priorities. Global Health Action, 9, Article No. 33032.
https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v9.33032
[21]
Mathiyalagen, P., Peramasamy, B., et al. (2017) A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study on Menstrual Hygiene and Perceived Reproductive Morbidity among Adolescent Girls in a Union Territory, India. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 6, 360-365. https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.220031
[22]
Njeri Ngugi, M. and Nyaura, J.E. (2014) Demystifying the Menstruation Process among the Kenyan Girl-Child “A Period of Shame”: A Socio-Cultural Perspective. International Journal of Science and Research, 3, 1077-1083.
https://www.ijsr.net/archive/v3i10/MDMwOTE0MDQ%3D.pdf
[23]
Tellier, S. and Hyttel, M. (2017) Menstrual Health Management in East and Southern Africa: A Review Paper: Menstrual Health Management Symposium.
[24]
Anbesu, E.W. and Asgedom, D.K. (2023) Menstrual Hygiene Practice and Associated Factors among Adolescent Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMC Public Health, 23, Article No. 33.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14942-8
[25]
Bairwa, M., Rajput, M., et al. (2013) Modified Kuppuswamy’s Socioeconomic Scale: Social Researcher Should Include Updated Income Criteria, 2012. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 38, 185-186. https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-0218.116358
[26]
Hennegan, J., Dolan, C., et al. (2016) Measuring the Prevalence and Impact of Poor Menstrual Hygiene Management: A Quantitative Survey of Schoolgirls in Rural Uganda. BMJ, 6, e012596. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012596
[27]
Cardoso, L.F., Clark, C.J., et al. (2019) Menstrual Restriction Prevalence and Association with Intimate Partner Violence among Nepali Women. BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health, 45, 38-43. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsrh-2017-101908
[28]
Chandra-Mouli, V. and Patel, S.V. (2020) Mapping the Knowledge and Understanding of Menarche, Menstrual Hygiene and Menstrual Health among Adolescent Girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. In: Bobel, C., et al., Eds., The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies, Springer, Berlin, 609-636.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0614-7_46
[29]
Ivanova, O., Rai, M., et al. (2019) A Cross-Sectional Mixed-Methods Study of Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge, Experiences and Access to Services among Refugee Adolescent Girls in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement. Uganda Reproductive Health, 16, Article No. 35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-019-0698-5
[30]
Chothe, V., Khubchandani, J., et al. (2014) Students’ Perceptions and Doubts about Menstruation in Developing Countries: A Case Study from India. Health Promotion Practice, 15, 319-326. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839914525175
[31]
Sommer, M., Sutherland, C., et al. (2015) Putting Menarche and Girls into the Global Population Health Agenda. Reproductive Health, 12, 1-3.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-015-0009-8
[32]
Facility Solutions Group (2016) Menstrual Health in Kenya; Country Landscape Analysis.
https://menstrualhygieneday.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/FSG-Menstrual-Health-Landscape_Kenya.pdf
[33]
Mason, L., Nyothach, E., Alexander, K., Odhiambo, F.O., Eleveld, A., Vulule, J., et al. (2013) “We Keep It Secret So No One Should Know”—A Qualitative Study to Explore Young Schoolgirls Attitudes and Experiences with Menstruation in Rural Western Kenya. PLOS ONE, 8, e79132.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0079132
[34]
Asumah, M.N., Aninanya, G.A., Salisu, W.J., et al. (2022) Perceived Factors Influencing Menstrual Hygiene Management among Adolescent Girls: A Qualitative Study in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region, Ghana. Pan African Medical Journal, 41, Article No. 146.
https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2022.41.146.33492
[35]
Alexander, K.T., Oduor, C. and Nyothach, E. (2014) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Conditions in Kenyan Rural Schools: Are Schools Meeting the Needs of Menstruating Girls? Water, 1, 1453-1466. https://doi.org/10.3390/w6051453
[36]
Boosey, R., Prestwich, G., et al. (2014) Menstrual Hygiene Management amongst Schoolgirls in the Rukungiri District of Uganda and the Impact on Their Education: A Cross-Sectional Study. The Pan African Medical Journal, 19, Article No. 253.
https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2014.19.253.5313
[37]
Omidvar, S. and Begum, K. (2010) Factors Influencing Hygienic Practices during Menses among Girls from South India—A Cross Sectional Study. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health, 2, 411-423.
[38]
Gultie, T., Hailu, D. and Workineh, Y. (2014) Age of Menarche and Knowledge about Menstrual Hygiene Management among Adolescent School Girls in Amhara Province, Ethiopia: Implication to Health Care Workers & School Teachers. PLOS ONE, 9, e108644. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108644
[39]
Otwani, C. and Juma, D. (2015) Determinants of Menstrual Hygiene among Primary School Girl Projects in Namable Division of Busia County, Kenya. International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research, 5, 105-113.
[40]
Higgins, A. (2018) Having a Period Is Unaffordable in Kenya, Yet No One Wants to Talk about It.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionalsnetwork/2017/jan/05/having-a-period-is-unaffordable-in-kenya-yet-no-one-wants-to-talk-about-it