Menstrual hygiene management among adolescent school girls in Taraba State, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: The onset of menstruation denotes a landmark event in pubertal development of the adolescent girl. Lack of adequate knowledge and good menstrual hygiene management can have far reaching consequences on the girl's wellbeing, dignity and reproductive health. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the menstrual knowledge and hygiene practices of adolescent school girls in Taraba State, Nigeria. METHODS: A descriptive cross sectional study conducted among 297 adolescent school girls. Participants were selected using multistage sampling technique. A self-administered, structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used for the analysis of data. RESULTS: The mean age at menarche was 13.7 years (± 6.7). Over three-quarter (76.1%) of the girls knew about menstruation before experiencing it. Mothers (48.1%) were the leading source of information about menstruation to the students. The study found that 207 (69.7%) of respondents had good knowledge about menstruation while 171 (57.58%) had good menstrual hygiene management. Knowledge was significantly associated with good menstrual hygiene management (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Knowledge of menstruation and hygienic practices during menstruation among the participants in the study was encouraging. Every adolescent girl should be equipped with the right knowledge and support for good menstrual hygiene management.