Menstrual management, health and hygiene interventions on the academic performance of girl child at ordinary level in Nsangi sub-county.

Abstract

An increasing number of studies have revealed that girls in low-income segments struggle with poor academic performance during menstruation scaled down to inadequate management of menstrual health and hygiene. This study explores to describe the menstrual hygiene status of girls in low-income segments of Uganda and estimates the prevalence of inadequate menstrual health. Secondly, this study assesses the relative contribution of aspects of menstrual health and hygiene to the academic performance of the girl child in Uganda. Observations, research and focused group discussions were used to collect the required data from the study participants. The sanitary facilities of the school were observed and those available were noted down on the observation checklist later forming a basis for quantitative data of the research. Research was conducted by reading several Biology textbooks on the topic of menstruation under reproduction in humans as well as reading several works of literature related to the menstrual cycle in different schools and countries across the globe. Focused group discussions were used to collect qualitative data from the female learners of the school. It was so evident from findings that girls reported a lack of access to adequate resources, facilities and accurate information to manage their menstrual hygiene effectively at school. They reported that, as a result, during menstruation, they often struggle at school or miss school. In the school, female learners miss on average of 3 days due to menstruation. It is common for girls who attend schools centered in low-income contexts to struggle in lessons during menstruation because they do not have access to the resources, facilities, or information they need to manage menstruation. This is likely to have detrimental effects on their academic performance and future prospects.