Effect of Health Educational Program on Knowledge and Self-care Practices about Menarche among Preparatory School Girls in Alexandria Governorate

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Lecturer, Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Egypt

2 Lecturer, Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Egypt.

3 Lecturer, Obstetrics& Gynecologic Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Egypt

4 Lecturer, Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University, Egypt Assistant Professor, Nursing Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Buraydah Private Colleges, Buraydah-51418, Saudi Arabia.

10.21608/tsnj.2024.367603

Abstract

Background: Menarche and menstruation are taboo topics that many groups, especially
adolescent girls, find unsettling. The health educational program was created to help female
adolescents get ready for menarche. The study aims were to identify the effect of health
educational program on knowledge and self-care practices about menarche among preparatory
school girls in Alexandria Governorate. Subjects and Methods: Design: A quasi-experimental
study design was used. Setting: A multistage random sampling technique was used. Sample:
Students in the selected classes (around 50 preparatory girls from each school) were divided in
the sample of 100 female students (study group) and 100 female students (control group). Tools
of data collection: Three tools were used for data collection. Tool (I): Preparatory school girl's
basic data structured interview schedule. Tool II: Preparatory school girls' puberty related
knowledge structured interview schedule. Tool III: Preparatory schoolgirl’s self-care practices
regarding puberty and menarche structured schedule. Result: Significant correlations were found
between the general self-care practices of students and their knowledge about menses (P=0.001).
Significant relationships were found between the number of siblings, the mother’s age, the
mother’s education level, and the student’s knowledge (P=0.001). Conclusion: According to the
findings of the current study, it can be concluded that menarche education program has
significantly impact on improvement of preparatory school student's knowledge and their self-
care practices. Recommendation: The application of programs should help to the development
of in-service training programs for healthcare providers who take care of adolescent girls about
issues related to menstruation and reproductive health.