Abstract:
Introduction: Menstruation is a universal phenomenon unique to females during a woman’s reproductive age that starts when girls become sexually mature.
Hygiene-related practices of girls and women during menstruation is important issue since it significantly contributes towards the achievement of number of sustainable development goals specifically goal four and five, However, much attention is not given to this issue and there is no recent literatures in the study area.
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess practice of menstrual hygiene and associated factors among secondary school Female students in Bahir Dar Town, North West Ethiopia, 2021.
Methods: Institution based cross sectional study was conducted among 834 secondary school Female students from April 1-30.Multistage sampling technique was used to collect data using self-administered structured questioners’. The collected data was entered into Epi data version 3.1 then exported to Statistical Package for Social Science version 23 for data analysis. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between menstrual hygienic practice and explanatory variables. Variables having P value of less than 0.05 with confidence level of 95% was considered as statistically significant.
Results: In this study good menstrual hygiene practice was 46.6 % with 95% CI (43.2-50). Having Pocket money (AOR 2.6:95%CI=1.9-3.6), having information before menarche (AOR 3.0:95%CI=2.2-4.2), school environment comfortability (AOR 2.0: 95%CI=1.5-2.8), knowledge about menstruation and its management (AOR 1.9:95%CI=1.1.3.1) and age at menarche (AOR 6.4:95%=3.0-13.6) were determinants of good menstrual hygiene practice.
Conclusion and recommendation: less than half (46.6%) of respondents had good menstrual hygiene practice. Pocket money, information before menarche, school environment comfortability, knowledge on menstruation and its management and age at menarche were determinants of good menstrual hygiene practice. Family, teachers and community as the whole better to inform female students about menses at early age in order to improve their menstrual hygiene practice.
Key Words: Menstrual hygiene, female students, Bahir Dar