Connaissances et attitudes des adolescentes du secteur informel de la ville de Ouagadougou vis-àvis des menstrues

Abstract

General objective: To study the knowledge and attitudes of adolescent girls in the
informal sector in the city of Ouagadougou on menstruation.
Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study in a single passage on the
knowledge and attitudes of adolescent girls in the informal sector in the city of
Ouagadougou on menstruation from July 15th to August 30th , 2020. Were included in
study, adolescent girls who have had their first period and who work in the informal
sector. The data were entered and analyzed using the épi-info software.
Results: The survey involved 450 adolescent girls from the informal sector whose
average age was 17.2 ± 1.5 years. The mean age of menarche in them was 13.4 ± 1.6
years with an average menstrual cycle length of 28.6 ± 1.9 days. Their menstrual flow
lasted an average of 4.6 days ± 0.95 and were accompanied by dysmenorrhea in 63%
of cases. Adolescent girls did not receive information about their periods before
menarche 76.9% of the time. Thus 77.8% of adolescent girls declared that they were
afraid at the sight of the first period. After menarche, 85.8% reported receiving
counseling and the main source of information was mothers 56.5% of the time. The
feelings experienced during menstruation were shame in 29.1% of cases, sadness in
18% of cases and embarrassment in 17.3% of cases. The disposable sanitary napkin
and the reusable piece of tissue were the most popular absorbents among respondents.
Conclusion: Menstruation is a taboo subject in our society with prohibitions. These
socio-cultural considerations help maintain gender inequality, decrease women's
productivity and hamper their empowerment, hence the need to sensitize and educate
populations about menstruation.