Determinants of Menstrual Hygiene Management among Secondary School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria

Omolara O Ogutuga; Oluwatosin Ruth Ilori; Joy A Adegbite; Abdulrahman T Fofie; Mosope Faramade; Akintunde Omoleke

doi:10.14710/jphtcr.v9i1.31641

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jphtcr.v9i1.31641

Determinants of Menstrual Hygiene Management among Secondary School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria

Omolara O Ogutuga¹, Oluwatosin Ruth Ilori²

, Joy A Adegbite¹, Abdulrahman T Fofie¹, Mosope Faramade¹, Akintunde Omoleke¹

¹Department of Community medicine ,Postgraduate School LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Ogbomoso, Nigeria

²Department of Community medicine, College of Health Sciences Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Received: 20 Mar 2026; Revised: 21 Apr 2026; Accepted: 24 Apr 2026; Published: 30 Apr 2026.

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

BibTex Citation Data :

@article{JPHTCR31641,
    author = {Omolara Ogutuga and Oluwatosin Ilori and Joy Adegbite and Abdulrahman Fofie and Mosope Faramade and Akintunde Omoleke},
    title = {Determinants of Menstrual Hygiene Management among Secondary School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria},
    journal = {Journal of Public Health for Tropical and Coastal Region},
  volume = {9},
    number = {1},
    year = {2026},
    keywords = {Menstrual health education, menstrual hygiene management, adolescents, menstrual stigma, school-based health},
    abstract = {  Introduction  :  Menstrual hygiene affects the health, dignity, and education of adolescent girls. More than three-fourths of Nigerian adolescents face sociocultural, economic, and infrastructural barriers that limit proper menstrual hygiene management. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria.   Method:  A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 adolescent girls selected from public and private secondary schools in Ibadan, using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a structured, pre-tested questionnaire which assessed respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to menstrual hygiene. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, with chi-square tests, and the level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.   Result:  The mean age of respondents was 15.3±1.4 years. In all, 40.4% displayed good knowledge of menstruation and menstrual hygiene, while 59.6% had poor knowledge. Attitudes were mixed: 51.8% demonstrated positive attitudes toward menstrual hygiene, whereas 48.2% showed negative attitudes. Menstrual hygiene practices were better, with 72.1% reporting good practices, including regular pad use (92.1%) and access to handwashing water (94.6%). However, 36.4% resorted to cloth materials when pads were unavailable, and 72.5% had no access to private changing spaces at school. Significant associations were found between attitude and practice of menstrual hygiene (p=0.032).   Conclusion:  While menstrual hygiene practices among adolescents in Ibadan were relatively good, knowledge gaps and negative attitudes remain substantial. Strengthening school-based menstrual hygiene education, improving WASH facilities are essential to enhancing adolescent girls’ health and school participation. },
   issn = {2597-4378},   pages = {1--13}  doi = {10.14710/jphtcr.v9i1.31641},
    url = {https://ejournal2.undip.ac.id/index.php/jphtr/article/view/31641}
}

Citation Format:

Abstract

Introduction: Menstrual hygiene affects the health, dignity, and education of adolescent girls. More than three-fourths of Nigerian adolescents face sociocultural, economic, and infrastructural barriers that limit proper menstrual hygiene management. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 280 adolescent girls selected from public and private secondary schools in Ibadan, using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using a structured, pre-tested questionnaire which assessed respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to menstrual hygiene. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, with chi-square tests, and the level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Result: The mean age of respondents was 15.3±1.4 years. In all, 40.4% displayed good knowledge of menstruation and menstrual hygiene, while 59.6% had poor knowledge. Attitudes were mixed: 51.8% demonstrated positive attitudes toward menstrual hygiene, whereas 48.2% showed negative attitudes. Menstrual hygiene practices were better, with 72.1% reporting good practices, including regular pad use (92.1%) and access to handwashing water (94.6%). However, 36.4% resorted to cloth materials when pads were unavailable, and 72.5% had no access to private changing spaces at school. Significant associations were found between attitude and practice of menstrual hygiene (p=0.032).

Conclusion: While menstrual hygiene practices among adolescents in Ibadan were relatively good, knowledge gaps and negative attitudes remain substantial. Strengthening school-based menstrual hygiene education, improving WASH facilities are essential to enhancing adolescent girls’ health and school participation.

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Keywords: Menstrual health education, menstrual hygiene management, adolescents, menstrual stigma, school-based health

Funding: Nil

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Section: Articles

Language : EN

In Vol 9, No 1 (2026): Journal of Public Health for Tropical and Coastal Region

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