Study of Knowledge and Practice of University Females Regarding Reproductive Health and Hygiene in Hail, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

IntroductionIt is estimated that around 52% of the females from all over the world (which approximates to 26% of the total population) belong to the reproductive age (1). Out of these, almost all females have a regular menstrual cycle each month ranging from two to seven days in duration. Although menstruation is a natural process of the female reproduction, it is always considered as a taboo and people often feel shy to talk about it (2). Due to this reason, it becomes more and more difficult for the girls to follow the hygiene practices which lead to various problems in the society (3,4). Menstrual hygiene although being a very important factor is often neglected by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector and other health care personnel who focus on the knowledge and education of females regarding sexual and reproductive health. Due to this reason, a very large number of women and girls do not have their rights to proper hygiene, health, education, dignity and gender equity. If this situation remains the same, it will be extremely difficult for development programs to reach the target of healthy young generation (5,6). Impact on healthMenstruation is a natural process of female reproduction, but poor management can result in various health problems. The effect of improper menstrual hygiene on the psychological and social health of females (e.g. stress levels, fear and embarrassment, and social exclusion during menstruation) is also considered as equally important (6). The length of the menstruation period is generally about 28 days but varies from person to person within the range of 21 to 35 days. The menstrual cycle involves ovulation which is the release of female egg into the uterus. In this process tissue and blood vessels start to line the walls of the uterus for the process of fertilization. If the process of fertilization by the sperm does not occur, the preformed lining of the uterus is shed through the vagina along with blood, which results in the monthly menstrual periods (5,6). AbstractObjectives: Menstruation, although a natural process, is often linked with different types of misconceptions and social taboos, such as treating the menstruating girls as dirty, and not allowing them to discuss the menstruation related problems with other family members. All of this will eventually lead to adverse health outcomes. Keeping these facts in mind the present study was formulated to find out the knowledge and practice of university females in the area of reproductive health and hygiene. Materials and Methods:The study was carried out using a pretested and modified questionnaire. Leaflets explaining the objectives of the study were distributed in different departments of the university and subjects were invited to participate in the study. After getting an informed consent, those who agreed to fill the questionnaire were included in the study. Data were entered into SPSS-17.0 for the purpose of statistical analysis.Results: The present study shows mean age at menarche as 12.91±1.65 years. 62.5% of t...

Health Education Intervention on Knowledge and Practices about reproductive health among Adolescent Females Students

“…The overall percentages of correct menstrual practice among adolescent females are increase after the intervention program. This agreement with (26) who suggested that the majority of the study participants (98.3%) used only readymade sanitary pads as the absorbent material during their menstrual periods. Remaining 1.7% used other materials such as homemade cotton pads.…”

“…The overall increase in adequate practices improved after the intervention program. These results are congruent with (26) who concluded that 96 females (80%) had personal hygiene especially during the monthly periods In spite of the large percentage of females being aware of this fact, only 10 (8.3%) females took bath daily. On the other hand, 24 females (20%) were found with the habit of bathing only after their periods were over.…”

“…Regarding the source of information about reproductive health, More than one third adolescent females reported that their mother was the main source of information about reproductive health followed by media, friends, and finally sisters. This result coincided with (26) who stressed that thesource of information regarding different aspects of reproductive health and hygiene was highest from mothers (47.5%), followed by sisters (18.3%), friends and school (16.7%) each and lastly media (0.8%).On the same line (22) describes the distribution of participant according to source of information about reproductive health, majority of females heard from mothers i.e. 71%, followed by friends i.e.…”

“…While, the majority of adolescent females had pre-menstrual syndrome. On the same line, (26) highlighted that only 29 (24.2%) of the subjects had a normal length of cycle (i.e. 25-30 days), and around 85 (71%) had a menstrual cycle length of less than 25 days.…”

“…While results of the study done by (33) (35) revealed that around half of females miss between 1-4 days of school each month due to painful periods or embarrassment and 39% reported reduced performance. Also (26) shows only 12.5% college absenteeism and preferable stay at home. The results of the present study revealed that majority of adolescent females using sanitary pad ||May 21678 -21663 Vol||05||Issue||05||Page R JMSC 2017 in posttest phase.…”