The aim of this study was to determine the effect of education provided to adolescents living in a container city, tailored to their needs regarding genital and menstrual hygiene, on their genital hygiene behaviours and menstrual experiences. The training is planned to consist of a total of two sessions (four hours), with each session lasting two hours, held twice a week (Saturdays and Sundays), with a maximum of 15 adolescent girls in each group. The training schedule will be determined based on the days and times suitable for the adolescents. In addition, a copy of the educational material prepared for the training will be provided to each adolescent girl. Appropriate interactive educational techniques (demonstration, role-play, question-and-answer, brainstorming, games, etc.) relevant to the topic will be used in each session of the educational program. Prior to the education, the adolescent girls will be asked to complete the Demographic Characteristics Form, the Genital Hygiene Behaviour Scale (GHDÖ) and the Menstrual Experiences Scale (MDÖ) based on self-reports. Following the final session of the education programme, these adolescent girls will be asked to complete these forms again. Finally, following the collection of the final test data, follow-up data will be collected from the adolescents at the end of the third month.
Preventive health services related to menstrual health during adolescence can prevent serious reproductive health problems that negatively affect women's lives. Protecting and improving reproductive health during this period is possible only if adolescents are aware of correct information and practices regarding genital and menstrual hygiene and take more responsibility for their own health. Identifying deficiencies in genital and menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among adolescents and improving genital hygiene behaviors through education during adolescence will become an important attitude and behavior in protecting women's health in the long term. This planned research aims to identify and address the genital and menstrual hygiene needs of adolescents living in container settlements, who are therefore a disadvantaged group. The formation of a healthy society is possible only if women, who play a vital role in the continuation of the generation, are healthy. To instill correct genital and menstrual hygiene behaviors, it is necessary to identify the obstacles affecting these behaviors, incorrect/inadequate hygiene practices, and menstrual experiences, and to provide adolescents with education according to their needs. Success in genital hygiene education, especially for adolescents, depends on transforming information into skills, and then developing those skills into correct habits through practical application. Otherwise, the inadequate and incorrect information, erroneous habits, and behaviors acquired by adolescent girls on their own will inevitably be passed on to future generations. Developing genital hygiene behaviors through education during adolescence will become an important attitude and behavior in protecting women's health in the long term. Within the scope of the project, educational materials will be developed and comprehensive training will be provided to adolescent girls living in container cities, addressing their ongoing genital and menstrual hygiene needs that persist even after the earthquake. This study will provide training to adolescent girls living in the earthquake zone in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye, in February 2023, addressing their unmet needs regarding genital and menstrual hygiene. This study will enable the rapid implementation of services related to genital and menstrual hygiene, a crucial component of reproductive health, and will pave the way for future studies in earthquake-affected areas. Accordingly, this study aimed to determine the effect of genital hygiene training given to adolescents living in a container city, based on their needs, on their genital hygiene behaviors and menstrual experiences.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
68
Participants attended a structured 'Genital and Menstrual Hygiene Education' programme comprising two sessions delivered over the course of a week (two days a week, two hours per session; total duration: four hours). The training covered the anatomy and physiology of the female genital organs, the menstrual cycle, genital hygiene and factors affecting it, the characteristics of normal and abnormal vaginal discharge, the importance of menstrual hygiene, and personal hygiene practices. This intervention was specifically designed to improve adolescents' knowledge and behaviour regarding genital and menstrual hygiene.
Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University
Kahramanmaraş, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey (Türkiye)
Genital Hygiene Behaviours
The validity and reliability study of the Genital Hygiene Behaviours Scale, which is to be used to determine adolescents' genital hygiene behaviours, was conducted by Karahan (2017). The scale consists of 23 items and three sub-dimensions (General Hygiene, Menstrual Hygiene and Awareness of Abnormal Findings). Items 7, 14, 19, 20 and 23 on the scale are reverse-coded. Higher scores on this five-point Likert-type scale represent more positive menstrual experiences. Scores range from a minimum of 23 to a maximum of 115 on the scale. The Cronbach's alpha value for the entire scale was found to be 0.80, whilst the General Hygiene Subscale was 0.70; the Menstrual Hygiene Subscale was 0.74; and the Awareness of Abnormal Findings Subscale was 0.81 (Karahan, 2017).
Time frame: at baseline (before the intervention), immediately after completion of the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up.
Menstrual Experiences
Menstrual Experiences Scale (MES), which will be used to assess adolescents' menstrual experiences, was developed by Hennegan and colleagues (2020) (Hennegan et al., 2020). The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the MES were established by Irmak Vural and Varışoğlu (2021). The scale consists of 27 items and four sub-dimensions (Material and Home Environment Needs, Transport and School Environment Needs, Concerns about Material Reliability, and Insecurity regarding Disposal and Disposal). Total and subscale scores are calculated using arithmetic means, resulting in scores ranging from 0 to 3. Higher scores indicate more positive menstrual experiences and better meeting of needs related to menstrual care practices. In the original form of the scale, the Cronbach's alpha value was found to be 0.77. In the Turkish version of the scale, the Cronbach's alpha value for the entire scale was found to be 0.78.
Time frame: at baseline (before the intervention), immediately after completion of the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up.
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