Ghana Health Service, Kintampo Municipal Hospital, Kintampo Bono East, Ghana.
Department of Global and International Health, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale Northern Region, Ghana.
Pan Afr Med J. 2022 Feb 18;41:146. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2022.41.146.33492. eCollection 2022.
menstrual hygiene (MH) is important for all women, yet it is still a neglected issue in many parts of the world. In most traditional African contexts, including Ghana, menstruation is largely treated as a taboo and humiliating topic that is rarely discussed openly. The main aim of this study is to assess perceived factors influencing menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in Ghana´s Savannah Region, West Gonja Municipality.
we conducted a descriptive exploratory qualitative study among adolescents who had reached menarche. Purposive sampling was used to conduct 24 interviews with 18 teenagers and 6 mothers. Data were analyzed using the thematic content analysis.
the majority (55.5%) of respondents were ≥15 years with maximum and minimum ages being 19 and 13 years respectively. The mean age was 15.7, with a standard deviation of 1.8. A higher proportion (38.9%) of respondents were in their final year (JHS 3). Before menarche, all adolescent girls had heard about menstruation, mostly from their mothers, then from instructors and friends. During menstruation, all of the girls in this study used absorbent products. The cost, comfort, heaviness of menstrual flow, and accessibility influenced the choice of absorbent material, with some respondents utilizing multiple absorbent materials. Some girls were forced to dry their reusable absorbent material in their room because of shyness. Girls thought that reusing absorbent materials after drying them in the sun would have killed germs and removed unpleasant odours. During menstruation, girls are barred from participating in social and religious activities.
culture and religion have very dire consequences on effective menstrual hygiene management. There is therefore urgent need to dispel the growing myths and misconception on menstrual hygiene as well as providing support for adolescent girls for practicing good menstrual hygiene.
月经卫生（MH）对所有女性都很重要，但在世界许多地方仍然是一个被忽视的问题。在包括加纳在内的大多数传统非洲背景下，月经在很大程度上被视为一个禁忌和令人羞辱的话题，很少被公开讨论。本研究的主要目的是评估加纳萨凡纳地区青少年女孩对月经卫生管理的感知因素，西非冈比亚地区的一个行政区。
我们对已经经历初潮的青少年进行了一项描述性探索性定性研究。采用目的抽样法，对 18 名青少年和 6 名母亲进行了 24 次访谈。使用主题内容分析法分析数据。
大多数（55.5%）受访者年龄≥15 岁，最大和最小年龄分别为 19 岁和 13 岁。平均年龄为 15.7 岁，标准差为 1.8。较高比例（38.9%）的受访者处于最后一年（JHS3）。在初潮之前，所有的少女都听说过月经，大多数是从母亲那里，然后是从老师和朋友那里。在月经期间，本研究中的所有女孩都使用了吸收性产品。吸收性材料的选择受到成本、舒适度、月经流量的沉重感和可及性的影响，一些受访者使用了多种吸收性材料。由于害羞，一些女孩被迫在自己的房间里晾干可重复使用的吸收材料。女孩们认为，将可重复使用的吸收材料在太阳下晾干后会杀死细菌并去除异味。在月经期间，女孩被禁止参加社交和宗教活动。
文化和宗教对有效的月经卫生管理有非常严重的影响。因此，迫切需要消除关于月经卫生的日益增长的神话和误解，并为青少年女孩提供支持，以实践良好的月经卫生。
