Availability of Wash Facilities for Effective Menstrual Hygiene Management at Home for Kenyan School Girls
Year: 2018
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Pokharel, Kiran. Availability of WASH facilities for effective Menstrual Hygiene Management at Home for Kenyan School Girls. 60p., 1 appendices. Language: English, Spring 2018.\n\nDiaconia University of Applied Sciences. Degree program in global health care. Master of health care (Sairaanhoitaja YAMK).\n\nBackground: Menstruation is a natural phenomenon of the reproductive sys-tem; however, lack of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities and lack of guidance among others, add extra challenges for adolescent girls to manage their menstruation hygienically. Poor menstruation among school girls is linked with shame, health problems, school absenteeism, and an ability to concentrate.\nPurpose: This study seeks to assess the availability of WASH facilities for Kenyan school girls for the management of menstrual hygiene at home. The aim of this study is to contribute to an information gap by providing a quantitative evaluation on WASH facilities in girl’s home environment.\n\nMethods: The data gathered by researchers of the Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) was used for this purpose. Data was gathered by field staffs trained on WASH data collection using a pretested questionnaire. 902 participants agreed to participate in the questionnaire. The data was analyzed using SPSS 24 for windows. Results are mostly presented through frequency tables, pie charts and histograms. \n\nResults and Conclusion: There was no latrine in one-fifth (20%) of the houses and many of the houses that had latrines lacked doors or walls, were unhygienic and improper. Latrine cleaning materials were absent in 8% of the houses. Only 62% of the houses had soap always available at home and only 45% had soap available after latrine use. Private space to maintain personal hygiene was not available for 20% of the girls. In contrast, satisfactory result was seen about availability of water at houses, with 99.8% having water. Over-all, the result of this study demonstrates that the WASH facilities (water supply, sanitation and personal hygiene conditions) were inadequate for the rural Kenyan girls to effectively manage their menstruation.
Source: Theseus (Ammattikorkeakoulujen)
Author: Kiran Pokharel
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2942841995