[Knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescent girls about menstrual hygiene in Kisangani].

Introduction: menstruation is a physiological phenomenon that is accompanied by crucial needs for proper management. It is shrouded in silence, myth and taboo, hence the need to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of adolescent students about menstrual hygiene (MH), factors associated with it and repercussions on their schooling.

Methods: we conducted an analytical cross-sectional study on 553 adolescent girls from 38 secondary schools in Kisangani City between September 2023 and February 2024. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Stata 13 software. Univariate analysis summarized the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, as well as their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding menstrual hygiene. Multivariate analyses identified factors associated with good knowledge of menstruation and menstrual hygiene (MH), as well as good menstrual hygiene management, using adjusted odds ratios to assess the associations.

Results: the majority of participants, aged 15 to 17 years, with an average age of menarche of 12.8 years, were enrolled in private schools and came from families with a middle socio-economic status. While 70.2% had attended a course on menstrual hygiene and 91.5% had received information about menstruation before their first period, only 11.0% had good knowledge of menstrual hygiene, and the prevalence of good menstrual hygiene practices was only 12.3%. Multivariate analysis showed that living in the Makiso commune (ORa=1.8; 95% CI=1.0-3.4; p=0.049), attending a family life education course that covers menstrual hygiene (ORa=2.7; 95% CI=1.1-6.3; p=0.025), being in the final year of secondary school (ORa=2.4; 95% CI=1.1-5.3; p=0.025), and having mothers or sisters as sources of information (ORa=2.7; 95% CI=1.4-5.1; p=0.002) were significantly associated with good knowledge of menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Furthermore, attending a private school (ORa=0.6; 95% CI=0.3-0.9; p=0.041) and having a mother with a university education (ORa=1.9; 95% CI=1.1-3.3; p=0.016) were associated with good practices.

Conclusion: although most adolescents had been informed about menstruation before menarche, only 11% had good knowledge of menstrual hygiene and 12.3% adopted good practices. Life education, particularly on menstrual hygiene, is crucial to improving these aspects.