Socio-cultural factors influencing knowledge, attitudes and menstrual hygiene practices among Junior High School adolescent girls in the Kpando District of Ghana: A mixed method study

Background: Menstruation is scarcely discussed openly in Ghana due to social and religious beliefs concerning it. This has limited transfer of knowledge on menstruation to adolescents. In this study we examined socio-cultural factors affecting knowledge, attitudes and menstrual hygiene practices of Junior High School adolescent girls in the Kpando Municipality of Ghana.

Materials and Methods: A mixed method approach was employed with 480 respondents.  A survey was conducted among 390 adolescent girls using interviewer administered questionnaires whilst Focus Group Discussions using a discussion guide were conducted among 90 respondents in groups of 9 members. Descriptive, inferential statistics and content analysis were used to summarize quantitative and qualitative data respectively.

Results: Fifty nine percent of the respondents had good knowledge of menstruation. Most (84.6%) of the students practiced good menstrual hygiene. Attending a private (AOR=0.19, 95% CI=0.09-0.40) and ...