TITLE:
Knowledge and Practice of Menstrual Health and Hygiene among Young People in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Lucy O. Idoko, Kingsley C. Okafor, Victoria O. Ayegba, Sarah Bala, Victor B. Evuka
KEYWORDS:
Menstrual Health Menstrual Hygiene, Knowledge, Practice
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.12 No.4,
April
25,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background: The periodic shedding of the lining of a woman’s uterus is referred to
as Menstruation, or a menstrual period. Over a period of three to five days,
the uterine lining breaks down into a bloody substance. It then passes down
through the cervix and exits through the vagina. Menstrual health knowledge is
regarded as having knowledge of what menstruation is and the need for effective
management of health during menstruation and proper menstrual hygiene
management. This study seeks to assess the knowledge and practice of menstrual
health and hygiene and availability of resources
for effective menstrual hygiene management among young people in Jos,
Plateau State, Nigeria. Methodology: This was a descriptive
cross-sectional study carried out among 169 young males and females of
Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Theological Seminary, Jos, North, Plateau
State, Nigeria. Simple
random sampling technique was used in this study and data was collected using an interviewer-administered
structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package
for the Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0. Findings: Majority of 70 (41.4%) respondents fall
within the age range of 20 - 24 years old, 64 (37.9%)
were within 25 - 29
years. There were more females (96, 56.8%) than males (73, 43.2%). Twenty (11.8%) were married, 149 (88.2%)
were single. More than three quarters (78.1%) had good knowledge of Menstrual
Hygiene. Of this, 64.4% are males and 88.5% are females. 18.3% of respondents
had fair knowledge. Of this, 30.1% are males and 9 (9.4%) are females. 6 (3.6%)
of respondent’s had poor knowledge of menstrual hygiene (4 (5.5%) of males and
2 (92.1%)) of females). Two-thirds of the female
respondents had good practice of menstrual hygiene, while a third of the
respondents had the poor practice of menstrual hygiene. Conclusion: There was good knowledge and
practice of menstruation and menstrual
hygiene among young people. Knowledge influences practice and the
perception of young people to sensitive concepts like menstrual health and
hygiene management. Reproductive health programs that reflect this should be
taught in schools and communities.