MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG URBAN AND RURAL ADOLESCENTS IN BAHIR DAR CITY ADMINISTRATION, NORTHWEST ETHIOPIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practice varies greatly from country to country, and within the countries. Ethiopia has adopted youth friendly reproductive health and sexual health services to improve the health of young people including adolescents. Credible evidence on MHM practice at community level after adoption of youth friendly service is limited.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess MHM practice among adolescent girls in urban and rural areas.
METHODS: A community based comparative cross-sectional study design was employed in urban and rural kebeles of Bahir Dar city administration. Multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were entered in to SPSS version 16. Descriptive statistics were used to describe data. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of good menstrual hygiene practice.
RESULTS: Safe MHM practice was 24.5% and did not show significant variation between urban and rural adolescent girls. However, significantly higher numbers of adolescent girls in the urban area used sanitary pads than the rural adolescent girls. Being older, attending formal education and educational status of participants’ mother were factors associated with safe MHM practice.
KEYWORDS: menstrual, hygiene, practice, adolescent, girls, Ethiopia
(Ethiopian Journal of Reproductive Health; 2018; 10; 4: 10-20)