A research from the University of Education, Winneba proves that 53% of adolescent girls cannot afford themselves sanitary pads thereby lacking access to adequate menstrual protection.

The study sought to assess the knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene among adolescent schools in the Mampong municipality of Ghana.

According to the lead investigator, Mr Huda Abdallah Kusi, the survey was used to assess how abreast adolescent girls are with menstrual hygiene and its practices.

“The descriptive cross-sectional study was used to assess the knowledge and practices of menstrual hygiene among adolescent school girls with at least 4 months of menstrual experiences,” he stated.

The report also contained that seventy per cent of adolescent school girls believe menstruation is a disease.

However, the researchers concluded that menstrual hygiene practices for adolescent school girls in Mampong municipality were largely influenced by socioeconomic capacities of their parents.

For that matter, they recommend knowledge about menstrual hygiene practices among girls for additional education and enlightenment.

84 participants within the ages of 14 to 18 were interviewed face-to-face using questionnaires.

59 of them representing 70.2 per cent indicated menstruation is a disease.

Sociodemographic characteristics, economic factors, menstrual hygiene practices were captured.