Promoting menstrual health management among women and girls in Mehe (Cameroon) through a pilot testing project: A quasi-experimental study

Background

The Far North region in Cameroon has the highest rate of poverty in the country. In this region, the natural process of menstruation is a taboo. Knowledge, attitudes and practices about menstruation and menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls is inadequate. This paper investigated the effectiveness of a pilot health promotion project on improving knowledge, attitudes and practices of menstrual hygiene among women and girls in Mehe located in, Meme discrit, Mayo Sava division (Far North region of Cameroon).

Methods

A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the impact of the health intervention program through a pilot testing project launched in May 2021. A sample of 350 Girls and women from 14 villages in Mehe was made on a random basic. Essentially soft intervention was implemented through a pilot project to bring change within the community. Assessment conducted in May 2022, comprised Key Informal Interview, Focus Group Discussions and a self-administered questionnaire measuring demographic characteristics, knowledge (K), attitudes (A), and practices (P). This KAP survey was administered before and after to investigate the main intervention outcomes. To check the consistency of the findings, a pre-post comparison is conducted using the asymptotic McNemar test for binary matched-pairs data.

Results

The paper shows that the girls and women of Mehe suffer from poor menstrual hygiene, originating from lack of knowledge and taboos that worsening gender equality. Thanks to the project, they have improved their menstrual health management and gender inequality have been reduced. This study confirms that a soft intervention through a menstrual health education pilot testing project can promote can improved menstrual health management.