Menstrual hygiene management practices among female students at several schools in Hanoi and Quang Binh

Abstract

The study aims to describe menstrual hygiene practices of girls aged 10 - 18 at 7 schools in Hanoi and Quang Binh. A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study by self-administrative questionnaire was conducted on 494 female students. Qualitative study was conducted with 8 group discussions and 24 in-depth interviews with students, teachers and school health officials. Research results show the percentage of students having poor practice is 20.9%. The older the student, the better the practice. There was no significant difference between Kinh ethnic students and ethnic minority students in menstrual hygiene management. Students of six out of seven schools tend to refrain from using school toilets due to overcrowding and uncleanness. The study recommends that schools, teachers and parents regularly discuss the difficulties of female students, focus on building and cleaning toilets, and creating a better environment for menstrual hygiene at schools.