Njee Robert M, Imeda Calister P, Ali Said M, Mushi Adiel K, Mbata Doris D, Kapala Albert W, Makundi Emmanuel A, Nyigo Vitus A, Majura Albert M, Akyoo Winfrida O, Mbatia Yolanda J, Baraka Germana T, Msovela Judith M, Ngadaya Ester S, Senkoro Mbazi F, Malebo Hamisi M
National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Dar es Salam, Tanzania.
Public Health Laboratory Ivo de Carneri (PHL-IdC), Wawi, Chake, Pemba, Tanzania.
PLoS One. 2024 Mar 11;19(3):e0284072. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284072. eCollection 2024.
Adolescent girls' capacity to lead healthy lives and perform well in school has been hampered by their lack of awareness about menstruation and the requirements for its hygienic management. Lack of enabling infrastructure, improper menstrual supplies, and limited socioeconomic support for good menstrual health and cleanliness are characteristics of schools in Africa South of the Sahara. We evaluated school-age girls' knowledge of menstrual hygiene and identified bottlenecks that could affect policy and programming for menstrual health and hygiene. A school-based cross-sectional study involved 8,012 adolescent school girls in the age group of 11-18 years (mean age = 14.9 years). The study evaluated students' knowledge of menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) from the viewpoints of schools and communities using a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Data was collected using self-administered surveys, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and site observations. Girls' older age (AOR = 1.62, P 0.001), having a female guardian (AOR = 1.39: P = 001), and having a parent in a formal job (AOR = 1.03: P 0.023) were positively associated with Menstrual health and Hygiene Knowledge. MHH knowledge levels varied significantly between girls attending government (53.3) and non-government schools (50.5%, P = 0.0001), although they were comparable for girls attending rural and urban schools. Only 21% of the study's schools had at least one instructor who had received training in MHH instruction for students. We have established that the majority of adolescent girls in schools have inadequate knowledge on menstrual health and hygiene, and that school teachers lack the skills to prepare and support young adolescents as they transition into puberty. Concerted actions aimed at building supportive policy are paramount, for school-aged teenagers to learn about and reap the long-term advantages of good menstrual health practices.
青春期女孩过健康生活和在学校表现良好的能力受到她们对月经缺乏认识以及月经卫生管理要求的阻碍。撒哈拉以南非洲地区的学校存在基础设施不足、月经用品不当以及对良好月经健康和清洁的社会经济支持有限等问题。我们评估了学龄女孩对月经卫生的知识，并确定了可能影响月经健康和卫生政策及规划的瓶颈。一项基于学校的横断面研究涉及8012名11至18岁（平均年龄 = 14.9岁）的青春期在校女孩。该研究采用定性和定量相结合的方法，从学校和社区的角度评估了学生对月经健康和卫生（MHH）的知识。数据通过自我管理的调查、焦点小组讨论、深入访谈和现场观察收集。女孩年龄较大（调整后比值比[AOR]=1.62，P<0.001）、有女性监护人（AOR = 1.39：P = 0.001）以及父母有正式工作（AOR = 1.03：P<0.023）与月经健康和卫生知识呈正相关。就读于政府学校（53.3%）和非政府学校（50.5%，P = 0.0001）的女孩之间，MHH知识水平存在显著差异，不过就读于农村和城市学校的女孩的知识水平相当。该研究中只有21%的学校至少有一名接受过针对学生的MHH指导培训的教师。我们已经确定，大多数在校青春期女孩对月经健康和卫生的知识不足，并且学校教师缺乏帮助青少年顺利进入青春期并给予支持的技能。为了让学龄青少年了解并从良好的月经健康习惯中获得长期益处，采取一致行动制定支持性政策至关重要。
