Menstrual Hygiene Management Education to Improve Knowledge and Attitudes of Elementary and Secondary School Students in Semarang City

Sutopo Patria Jati; Nurhasmadiar Nandini; Erlin Friska; Vanessa Rizky Aditya; Nadiya Ridha Afifah

doi:10.14710/jphtcr.v9i2.30729

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jphtcr.v9i2.30729

Menstrual Hygiene Management Education to Improve Knowledge and Attitudes of Elementary and Secondary School Students in Semarang City

Sutopo Patria Jati¹ , Nurhasmadiar Nandini¹, Erlin Friska²

, Vanessa Rizky Aditya³, Nadiya Ridha Afifah¹

¹Department of Health Administration and Policy, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang , Indonesia

²Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia

³Center of Health Research, Institute for Research and Community Service, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang , Indonesia

Received: 27 Dec 2025; Published: 31 Aug 2026.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

BibTex Citation Data :

@article{JPHTCR30729,
    author = {Sutopo Jati and Nurhasmadiar Nandini and Erlin Friska and Vanessa Aditya and Nadiya Afifah},
    title = {Menstrual Hygiene Management Education to Improve Knowledge and Attitudes of Elementary and Secondary School Students in Semarang City},
    journal = {Journal of Public Health for Tropical and Coastal Region},
  volume = {9},
    number = {2},
    year = {2026},
    keywords = {Menstrual Hygiene Management, adolescent health, knowledge, attitudes, Semarang},
    abstract = {  Background:  Inadequate Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) among adolescents, driven by cultural stigma and limited access to accurate information, increases the risk of reproductive tract infections and social challenges, such as school absenteeism, in urban settings such as Semarang City, Indonesia. This study assessed changes in MHM knowledge and attitudes following a quiz card game intervention among 1,234 adolescents aged 9–15 years from 19 elementary and junior high schools.   Methods:  Using a pre-experimental, one-group, pretest–posttest design, structured questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention. The 30-minute quiz card game sessions, facilitated by trained educators, incorporated visual aids to address menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practices and cultural misconceptions.   Results:  The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test showed significant improvements in knowledge (Z = -14.874, p < 0.001; mean: 5.08 to 6.67) and attitudes (Z = -12.851, p < 0.001; mean: 29.41 to 31.64), with 63% of respondents (777 individuals) demonstrating increased knowledge scores, including 336 with initially poor knowledge.   Conclusion:  These findings highlight the effectiveness of quiz card games in engaging adolescents and reducing stigma. Integrating such interactive, culturally sensitive tools into school curricula can promote healthy menstrual practices, reduce health risks, and empower Semarang adolescents to adopt safe and dignified hygiene behaviors early on. },
   issn = {2597-4378},   pages = {144--154}  doi = {10.14710/jphtcr.v9i2.30729},
    url = {https://ejournal2.undip.ac.id/index.php/jphtr/article/view/30729}
}

Citation Format:

Abstract

Background: Inadequate Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) among adolescents, driven by cultural stigma and limited access to accurate information, increases the risk of reproductive tract infections and social challenges, such as school absenteeism, in urban settings such as Semarang City, Indonesia. This study assessed changes in MHM knowledge and attitudes following a quiz card game intervention among 1,234 adolescents aged 9–15 years from 19 elementary and junior high schools.

Methods: Using a pre-experimental, one-group, pretest–posttest design, structured questionnaires were administered before and after the intervention. The 30-minute quiz card game sessions, facilitated by trained educators, incorporated visual aids to address menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practices and cultural misconceptions.

Results: The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test showed significant improvements in knowledge (Z = -14.874, p < 0.001; mean: 5.08 to 6.67) and attitudes (Z = -12.851, p < 0.001; mean: 29.41 to 31.64), with 63% of respondents (777 individuals) demonstrating increased knowledge scores, including 336 with initially poor knowledge.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the effectiveness of quiz card games in engaging adolescents and reducing stigma. Integrating such interactive, culturally sensitive tools into school curricula can promote healthy menstrual practices, reduce health risks, and empower Semarang adolescents to adopt safe and dignified hygiene behaviors early on.

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Keywords: Menstrual Hygiene Management, adolescent health, knowledge, attitudes, Semarang

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In Vol 9, No 2 (2026): Journal of Public Health for Tropical and Coastal Region

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