Abstract:

Background: Menstruation has been defined as a pediatric discharge of blood discharge and mucosal tissues from the uterus via virginal orifice occurring every month puberty to menopause during this period girls are required to have menstrual hygiene management (MHM. Poor MHM increase vulnerability to reproductive tract infections (RTIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) it also highlight absenteeism which contributes to poor performance among adolescent girls (2).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 300 ongoing school adolescent girls in five governmental selected schools in Sengerema District, Mwanza. Data were collected using structured questionnaires which captured knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene among participants. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 20.

Results: In this study 169 (56.3%) and 219 (73%) of participants had good knowledge and practices on menstrual hygiene. Age, menstrual education in school and poor attendance of adolescent girls were found to be significantly associated with knowledge regarding menstrual hygiene by p-values of <0.039, <0.001 and <0.036 respectively. There was significant association between menstrual practices and (people can talk to, people can’t talk to and protective materials provided at school) by values of 0.022, 0.007, 0.028 and 0.043 respectively.

Conclusion: Menstrual hygiene activities are lesser prioritized, the level of knowledge on menstrual hygiene was not satisfactory and the level of practices were limited. Therefore, proper menstrual hygiene and menstrual practices should be well addressed.