Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards Menstrual Hygiene Management among Adolescent School Girls in Sulaymaniyah City/Iraq
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21928/uhdjst.v9n1y2025.pp106-113Keywords:
Menstrual Hygiene Management, Adolescent Girls, Knowledge, Attitude, PracticeAbstract
Background: Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) remains a significant public health challenge for adolescent girls in many communities. Despite its importance for reproductive health and overall well-being, many girls lack adequate information, resources, and supportive environments to manage menstruation effectively. MHM being crucial for adolescent girls’ health, gaps in knowledge and practices persist among schoolgirls across different educational levels. Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) regarding MHM among adolescent schoolgirls across different grades as well as to find out the association between sociodemographic characteristics with KAP scores. Methods: A quantitative descriptive analytic (Cross-sectional study) was conducted with 432 adolescent girls across different grade levels, The data collection started from November 20, 2024, to February 10, 2025, using an interviewed questionnaire. Results: Among participants, 45.8% had poor knowledge, 31.5% had negative attitudes, and 42.6% demonstrated poor practices toward MHM. KAP scores were significantly associated with age, class level, parental education, and maternal occupation (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings indicate a need for comprehensive menstrual health education programs targeting adolescent girls, particularly in lower grades, to improve MHM and address the gaps in KAP.
References
V. Chandra-Mouli and S. V. Patel. “Mapping the knowledge and understanding of menarche, menstrual hygiene and menstrual health among adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries”. Reproductive Health, vol. 14, no. 1, p. 30, 2017.
S. Mohammed and R. E. Larsen-Reindorf. “Menstrual knowledge, sociocultural restrictions, and barriers to menstrual hygiene management in Ghana: Evidence from a multi-method survey among adolescent schoolgirls and schoolboys”. PLoS One, vol. 15, no. 10, p. e0241106, 2020.
UNICEF. “Guidance on Menstrual Health and Hygiene”. UNICEF, New York, 2022.
World Health Organization. “Menstrual Health and Elimination of Harmful Practices”. World Health Organization, Geneva, 2022.
Z. Sooki, M. Shariati, R. Chaman, A. Khosravi, M. Effatpanah and A. Keramat. “The role of mother in informing girls about puberty: A meta-analysis study”. Nursing and Midwifery Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, p. e30360, 2016.
A. Vashisht, R. Pathak, R. Agarwalla, B. N. Patavegar and M. Panda. “School absenteeism during menstruation amongst adolescent girls in Delhi, India”. Journal of Family and Community Medicine, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 163-168, 2018.
O. Pamela Akech. “Menstrual Hygiene Management Practices and School Attendance among Girls in Public Primary Schools in Kisumu West Sub-County, Kisumu County, Kenya”. Kisii University, Kenya, 2023.
P. A. Phillips-Howard, J. Hennegan, H. A. Weiss, L. Hytti and M. Sommer. “Inclusion of menstrual health in sexual and reproductive health and rights”. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, vol. 2, no. 8, p. e18, 2018.
S. Ahmed, R. Nimonkar, S. K. Kalra, P. M. Singh, Rajiva and R. S. Singh. “Menstrual hygiene management and menstrual problems among adolescent girls in an urban area in north India: A cross-sectional study”. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 1012-1019, 2024.
P. A. Phillips-Howard, G. Otieno, B. Burmen, F. Otieno, F. Odongo, C. Odour, E. Nyothach, N. Amek, E. Zielinski-Gutierrez, F. Odhiambo, C. Zeh, D. Kwaro, L. A. Mills and K. F. Laserson. “Menstrual needs and associations with sexual and reproductive risks in rural Kenyan females: A cross-sectional behavioral survey linked with HIV prevalence”. Journal of Women’s Health, vol. 24, no. 10, pp. 801-811, 2015.
S. J. Block, M. K. Hauer, A. Ezeh and S. Sood. “Menstrual management among adolescent girls in Uttar Pradesh, India: An examination of interpersonal and mediated communication as delivery mechanisms for practical guidance”. Frontiers in Reproductive Health. vol. 4, p. 1025376, 2023.
M. S. M. Alshurafa. “Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Menstruation among Adolescents, Female in the Gaza Strip”. Alquds University, 2023. Available from: https://dspace.alquds. edu/handle/20.500.12213/8715 [Last accessed on 2025 Apr 08].
M. Yogesh, N. S. Trivedi, R. Damor, M. Patel, He. Ladani, A. Ramachandran, R. Vamja and B. Surati. “Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding menstrual hygiene management among adolescent schoolgirls (10-19 years) in the Saurashtra Region, Gujarat”. Cureus, vol. 15, no. 12, p. e50950, 2023.
M. A. T. Ha and M. Z. Alam. “Menstrual hygiene management practice among adolescent girls: An urban-rural comparative study in Rajshahi division, Bangladesh”. BMC Women’s Health, vol. 22, no. 1, p. 86, 2022.
Z. Belayneh, M. Mareg and B. Mekuriaw. “How menstruation is perceived by adolescent school girls in Gedeo zone of Ethiopia?” Obstetrics and Gynecology International, vol. 2020, no. 1, pp. 1-6, 2020.
H. Mohammed Gena. “Menstrual hygiene management practices and associated factors among secondary school girls in East hararghe zone, Eastern Ethiopia”. Advances in Public Health, vol. 2020, no. 1, pp. 1-7, 2020.
M. L. I. Bazakare, B. N. Rwabufigiri and C. Munyanshongore. “Knowledge and practice toward menstrual hygiene management and associated factors among visual impaired adolescent girls: A case of two selected institutions in Rwanda”. Therapeutic Advances in Reproductive Health, vol. 18, p. 1-12, 2024.
S. Siabani, H. Charehjow and M. Babakhani. “Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding menstruation among school girls in West of Iran: A population based cross-sectional study”. International Journal Pediatric, vol. 6, no. 56, pp. 8075-8085. 2018.
T. N. Deshpande, S. S. Patil, S. B. Gharai, S. R. Patil and P. M. Durgawale. “Menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls - a study from urban slum area”. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, vol. 7, no. 6, p. 1439, 2018.
T. Gultie, D. Hailu and Y. Workineh. “Age of menarche and knowledge about menstrual hygiene management among adolescent school girls in Amhara province, Ethiopia: Implication to health care workers and school teachers”. PLoS One, vol. 9, no. 9, p. e108644, 2014.
M. Sommer, A. B. Caruso, M. Sahin, T. Calderon, S. Cavill, T. Mahon and P. A. Phillips-Howard. “A time for global action: Addressing girls’ menstrual hygiene management needs in schools”. PLoS Medicine, vol. 13, no. 2, p. e1001962, 2016.
A. M. Van Eijk, M. Sivakami, M. B. Thakkar, A. Bauman, K. F. Laserson, S. Coates and P. A. Phillips-Howard. “Menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis”. BMJ Open, vol. 6, no. 3, p. e010290, 2016.
UNICEF. “Guidance on Menstrual Health and Hygiene”. Sec. 2. UNICEF; 2019. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/ media/91341/file/unicef-guidance-menstrual-health-hygiene-2019. pdf [Last accessed on 2025 May 03].
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sara Rebwar Mohammed-Amin, Gona Othman Faris
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
