Onset of Menarche and Adolescent Menstrual Hygiene Practices in Semi-Urban Ibadan Community, Nigeria

Abstract

The present study was designed to explore the sociocultural dynamics of education about menstruation and hygiene practices among adolescent girls in a semi-urban Ibadan community in Nigeria. The study was descriptive. Through a multistage sampling technique, 492 girls were sampled. Their mean age was 14.5 years. Almost one half (49.4%) had received no education about menstruation before menarche. Most (65.3%) of the girls got menstrual information from their mothers, but 40.9% believed that such information should not be discussed openly. A little over one third (37%) of girls could not afford disposable menstrual materials, and 61.8% reportedly dried their reusable menstrual materials indoors. Adolescent girls should be exposed to education about menstruation early to promote positive attitudes toward menstrual hygiene.

Keywords:

• Adolescent girls
• menstruation
• menarche
• menstrual hygiene practices

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the time dedicated to the study by the participants, and we thank the field staff for their assistance with the data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.