Perception and behaviour on use of sanitary pads during menstruation among adolescent school girls in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The knowledge of perception and behaviour on the use of sanitary pads during menstruation among adolescents of school age is a vital aspect of health education. The study was carried out among 140 school girls, it investigated perception as well as behaviour on the use of sanitary pads during menstruation. Specific objectives were tailored to determine adolescent girls’ perception on the use of sanitary pads during menstruation and also to assess their behaviour on using sanitary pads for menstrual hygiene. Girls were selected by cross-sectional population survey of educational institutions, 56 from primary school and 84 from junior secondary school within the age group of 10-20 years were given questionnaires to gather data for analysis. The results show that of the 140 girls studied, 64.3% of the girls used sanitary pads, 62.3 % had
positive self perception on use of sanitary pads for hygiene purposes while 67.1% felt satisfied as well as good and nice as it boosted their self-confidence, although 66.4% perceived it as expensive. However, there seems to be a behavioural change on use of sanitary pads with 66.4% as well as being positive; enabling a majority (52.1%) to attend classes normally at school. The conclusion from this study is that 66.3% of the adolescent girls of Niger Delta area, Bayelsa state, Nigeria had positive perception on use of sanitary pads; 67.1% have perception that was satisfying, good, and nice on use of sanitary pads, boosting self-confidence though expensive for 64.4%. , thus leading to a behavioural change that is positive. This study therefore recommends the use of sanitary pads among adolescent school girls to be monitored and taught at schools to prevent infectious diseases as well as to bridge the gap with the training at home by mothers and
other sources of information. [authors abstract]