Table 3. Menstrual hygiene management practices of schoolgirls participating in the study.
| Menstrual hygiene practices | N = 358 |
|---|---|
| Age at menarche in years (first menstrual period), mean (SD) | 14.4 (1.2) |
| Learnt about menstruation before menarche, n (%) | 228 (64) |
| Difficulties with menstruation | |
| Bleeding between menses in the preceding 2 months, n (%) | 7 (2) |
| Heavy menstrual bleeding in the preceding 2 months, n (%) | 191 (53) |
| Extreme level of pain experienced during menstrual period, n (%) | 137 (38) |
| Mild level of pain experienced during menstrual period, n (%) | 162 (45%) |
| Knowledge of absorbent material for menstrual blood, n (%) | |
| Disposable sanitary pads | 311 (87) |
| Reusable cloths/towels | 355 (99) |
| Tampon/Menstrual cup/Other | 0 |
| Absorbent materials used during menstrual period, n (%) | |
| Disposable sanitary pads | 165 (46) |
| Reusable cloth/towel | 192 (53) |
| Knickers | 1 (<1) |
| Would have liked to purchase disposable pads from the local shops but were unable to, n (%)* | 101 (28) |
| Reasons for not being able to purchase disposable pads from local shop, n (%)¥ | |
| “I didn’t have enough money” | 48 (48) |
| “Not available in shops” | 18 (18) |
| “I felt embarrassed” | 45 (45) |
| Attend school that has a supply of pads for girls, n (%)** | 208 (63) |
| Number of packets of disposable sanitary pads provided by the school last time they collected, mean (SD) ¥¥ | 1.3 (0.6) |
| Attend school that has emergency supply of pads, n (%)*** | 190 (61) |
| Frequency of changing absorbent material on one of the heavy bleeding days, n (%) | |
| Once a day | 10 (3) |
| Twice a day | 148 (41) |
| Three or more times a day | 200 (56) |
| Location for changing absorbent material at home for the girls, n (%)* | |
| Outside bathroom | 346 (97) |
| Private room | 11 (3) |
| How the absorbent material is washed at home, n (%)# | |
| With water | 7 (2) |
| With water and soap/detergent | 302 (98) |
| Other | 1 (<1) |
| Mode of drying washed absorbent material at home, n (%) ## | |
| In the bathroom | 264 (85) |
| In the sun/open space | 1 (<1) |
| Inside the house/room | 43 (14) |
| Under the mattress | 1 (<1) |
| Frequency of bathing including vaginal wash during menstruation, n (%) | |
| Once a day | 19 (5) |
| Twice a day or more | 339 (95) |
SD- standard deviation
*1 missing data
¥Each girl could have more than one response
**27 not known
¥¥ One packet contained 10 disposable sanitary pads
***47 do not know
#48 not known
##49 not known