Document Type : Original Article
Author
Department of Adult Education, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Menstrual health literacy is particularly important for all women irrespective of their age group as poor menstrual health literacy impacts women’s quality of life and health .The study examined menstrual health literacy and hygiene management of female undergraduates at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and identified the influencing factors.
Material and Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out online using easy sampling of female undergraduates at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria from March 2024 to May 2024. The researchers used Google Forms to create a survey that was distributed to study participants. The demographic factors (age, religion, course level, faculty of study, year of first menstruation, ethnicity, and mode of residence) were the main emphasis of the first subsection. The participants' menstrual health literacy was the subject of the second subsection, while understanding of period problems and hygiene management were the subjects of the third and fourth subsections, respectively. Frequency, description computations, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, Analysis of Variance, and multiple regression were used to examine the data.
Results: A substantial majority of female undergraduates 72.2% at the University of Ibadan demonstrated a good degree of comprehension about fundamental menstrual health topics (Menstrual health literacy). Menstrual health literacy improved knowledge of menstruation concerns among female undergraduates (r=.225, n=349, p (.001)<.05).Female undergraduates at the University of Ibadan, understanding of menstruation difficulties correlated with hygiene management (r=.378, n=349, p(.001)<.05).
Conclusion: The menstrual health literacy level among female undergraduates was high and good. Schools and homes should provide girls and young adult’s females with information about the meaning of menstruation, cycle and the importance of good hygienic practices.
Keywords
Acknowledgments: The author acknowledges the participation of all female undergraduates in the study, both on and off campus, as well as the different course representatives, female hall Wardens of the undergraduate’s halls of residence, residence hall chairpersons, and the Dean of students who helped with participant recruitment.
Availability of data and materials: The data sets created and/or analysed for this work are made publicly available upon request.
Conflict of interest: There is no conflicting interest on this report.
Consent for publication: Not relevant.
Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Participants completed the questionnaires anonymously and were assured of the confidentiality of their responses. Additionally, all respondents, along with the institution's Dean of Students, provided consent for participation after reviewing the study protocol and the items on the questionnaire. The University of Ibadan's Department of Adult Education and the Dean of Students gave complete ethical approval for the study. The researcher made sure all participants had read the written informed consent, understood its contents, and decided they wanted to participate in the study before they signed it.
Funding: No public, private, or nonprofit organisation provided any funding of any kind for this study.
Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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