Understanding the knowledge and experience of menarche among secondary school female students in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: Menstruation, a key physiological change in females of reproductive age, necessitates providing young girls with crucial information on menarche to better prepare them. Methods: This study assessed the knowledge and experience of menarche among secondary school female students in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria, utilizing a descriptive cross-sectional survey method. Conducted from August to September 2023, the study involved 420 participants and employed multistage sampling for selection. Results: The findings revealed a paradoxical decrease in the mean age of menarche to 12.02 +/- 1.15 years, with most girls experiencing menarche at age 13. Notably, 91.4% of participants had substantial knowledge of menarche, primarily acquired from mothers. Although 86.9% recognized menarche as a normal puberty change, experiences varied: 45.5% felt normal, 39.3% were afraid, and 12.9% felt ashamed during their menarche. Conclusions: The study concludes that despite high awareness levels, poor menarche experiences prevail due to inadequate preparation. It recommends enhanced awareness campaigns in schools, spearheaded by NGOs and health workers, to educate and prepare young girls for menarche effectively.

Reproductive health awareness among female university students at Saudi Arabia

Background: Reproductive health is a major part of a woman’s life to ensure a healthy life for both mothers and their babies. However, most women do not have the proper knowledge and awareness of that subject. Objectives were to assess the awareness of reproductive health among Saudi female university students and to determine the factors associated with the level of awareness. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted among 347 participants, using multi-stage stratified sampling. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge level of the five-major component of reproductive health. Results: The results revealed an average level of knowledge about reproductive health (49.4%) among the college students. There was a significant association between having children, mother’s working status, and father educational level, family income and participant reproductive health knowledge (p=0.02, 0.005 and 0.02) respectively. Although 77.1% of the participants had good knowledge of menstrual health and hygiene, they showed misconceptions. The knowledge about family planning, prenatal and antenatal were high 66.6% and 53.9%. The level of knowledge on sexually transmitted diseases was 58% high among students and only 40% have heard of HIV/AIDS but other diseases were less recognized. Conclusions: The knowledge of reproductive health is considered poor. Father’s education level and family income were associated with the level of a student’s knowledge. Educational session about RH is needed among students with focus on menstrual health and hygiene, antenatal care, family planning, breastfeeding, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Sexual harassment in public transport among female students at the Federal university of technology Akure, Nigeria

Background: Every day females experience different types of sexual harassment while using public transportation worldwide. Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence of sexual harassment amongst female students who travel by public transportation at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study. Data was collected using electronic questionnaires and analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 21. Frequencies and percentages were used for data summary. Association between variables was determined using Chi Square test. Statistical significance was a p-value < 0.05. Results: Ninety-three percent of female students in FUTA had experienced sexual harassment. Among those who had experienced sexual harassment, 98.4% were single, 81.5% lived off campus, 79.0% used public bus, 45.4% commuted daily, 84.7% was in an overcrowded vehicle and 52.9% was in the evening. There was a significant association between sexual harassment and marital status (p = 0.033), place of residence (p = 0.019), mode of public transportation (p = 0.014), time of travel (p = 0.018). Verbal sexual harassment was most prevalent (91.1%), followed by physical sexual harassment (87.6%) and non-verbal sexual harassment (82%). Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence of sexual harassment among female university students in FUTA using public transportation, which occurs in a variety of scenarios, particularly in crowded vehicles during rush hour

Assessment of female students’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) regarding Menstrual Hygiene Management

@#Hygienic practices during menstruation are of great importance. The lack of which increases emotional distress, anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling unclean and discrimination as well as the susceptibility of an individual to reproductive tract infections. This prospective study was an assessment of female students’ perception (knowledge, attitude and practices) regarding menstrual hygiene management (MHM) at the School of Medicine and Health Science (SMHS), University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG). Pretested questionnaire was distributed to 80 female students using a quantitative approach for data collection after obtaining ethical clearance. The responses were recorded in Excel Spread sheets. The data was statistically analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2013. All the participants learned through education that menstruation is a natural process in all females after puberty. Majority (90%) of the participants agreed with the proposed concept of free-distribution of sanitary pads to all female students by the SMHS student services. Further research on menstrual management options that are practical, sustainable and culturally acceptable must be conducted to inform future programs and policies that aim to empower young girls as they transition into womanhood.

Unplanned pregnancy among female students at universities in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Unplanned pregnancy has adverse effects including unsafe and illegal abortions causing maternal morbidity and mortality. Despite the adverse impact of unplanned pregnancy on women's personal life, their families, and society, there is a dearth of knowledge on unplanned pregnancy in institutions of higher education and training in South Africa. As a result, the objective of this study was to assess unplanned pregnancy and underlying factors among unmarried female students in universities in Eastern Cape. This was a cross-sectional survey of 1269 unmarried female students from universities in Eastern Cape selected using multistage cluster sampling. The study found that the prevalence of unplanned pregnancy was 12.31%, Health Science student (AOR: 0.41, 95% CI [0.17, 0.99], p < 0.001) were less likely to experience unplanned pregnancy. Being financially supported by a family (AOR: 0.17, 95% CI: [0.07, 0.43], p< 0.001) and being aged less than or equal to 18 years during the first sexual intercourse (AOR: 6.32, 95% CI: [2.57, 15.54], p < 0.001) were associated with unplanned pregnancy. Rural residence (AOR=3.93; 95% CI: (1.21, 12.84), p <0.001), not using contraceptives (AOR=10.63; 95%CI: 5.29, 21.37, p < 0.001) and having divorced parents (AOR=1.99; 95%CI: 1.14, 3.94), p < 0.001) were associated with unplanned pregnancy compared to their counterparts, respectively. The prevalence of unplanned pregnancy is high among unmarried female students in universities in Eastern Cape. Unplanned pregnancy was influenced by age at first sexual intercourse, non-use of contraceptives, divorced parents, the field of study, and the source of financial support. Universities and stakeholders should work together to support reproductive health programmes to prevent unplanned pregnancy. (Afr J Reprod Health 2022; 26[7]: 29-37).

Knowledge and practices of female students at University of Kara regarding sexually transmitted infections in Togo, 2021

A good knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in female students is an important element in the prevention of STI transmission. The objective of this study is to describe the level of knowledge and practices on STI among female students at the University of Kara. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Kara from July to September 2021. Data were collected using a standard, digitalised, selfadministered questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to describe factors associated with the level of knowledge of STIs. A total of 1,055 female students with a median age of 21 years (interquartile range: 20-24) participated in the study. More than one-third (33.7%) of the students had good knowledge of STI. Having already been tested for HIV (aOR=3.25; 95% CI 2.36-4.52), having already had sex (aOR=1.56; 95% CI 1.10-2.24) and the level of education (AOR=3.46; 95% CI 2.10-5.85) were significantly associated with good STIs knowledge. Among the 723 female students (68.5%) who already had sex, 32.5% reported inconsistent use of condoms during sexual intercourse and 18.9% reported having multiple sexual partners. The results of this study highlight the importance of intensifying STIs prevention efforts (awareness, screening, and vaccination) among female students at the University of Kara.

Date Supplement and Iron Salts Plus Physical Activity on Efficiency of Iron Absorption

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of date supplement and iron plus physical activity on anemic femalestudents. This study includes 40 anemic female students, from the new valley university; they were divided into four equalgroups ten in each group; 1st group ingested “date” plus exercise, 2nd group ingested date without exercise, 3rd groupsupplemented with iron salts with exercise, 4th group supplemented with iron salts without exercise, pre/post-test VO2max,pulse rate, Hb, iron, ferritin and O2 were determined. 5 ml venous blood was drawn from all participants for the pre/postvariables. Dose of date sheet was (10 gm) twice daily, and dose of iron salts was one capsule (5mg) daily. Results: Resultsindicated that date supplement, and iron together with exercise affect positively the anemic female students. Conclusion:black dates and iron with or without hulls, are effective, safe and cheap supplements for improving hemoglobin andrestoring iron stores to correct iron deficiency.

Prevalence and pattern of psychoactive substance use among female students aged 18-25 years in universities of North India

Background: Prevalence and underlying reasons of psychoactive substance use vary across different age, gender and societal groups. It is an important concern among females as female physiology and psychology makes them more vulnerable to substance dependence. The primary objective of study was to find prevalence, pattern and factors affecting psychoactive substance use among female students (18-25 years).Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, 250 female students were recruited from a university in Chandigarh using multistage cluster random sampling. Survey tool developed by World Health Organization was used in a self administrated format using paper based survey method. Associations among various factors leading to psychoactive substance use were tested using logistic regression model.Results: Lifetime prevalence of psychoactive substance use was 13.6% [95% CI 9.3-17.8, n=34]. Participants reported their use out of curiosity, for having fun, personal problems, easy availability, familial use, etc. 52.9% (18/250) students reported their use within last 3 months; out of them health problems were faced by two. Association of psychoactive substance use was significant for age, socioeconomic status and family history of psychoactive substance use.Conclusions: Due to sensitive nature of reporting substance use, the lifetime prevalence of 13.6% among female young students may be an underestimation. Familial psychoactive substance use exposes their wards to its use, especially under psychological stress. Qualitative research should be performed to understand why some female students use psychoactive substances while others abstain themselves from using these at all or abstain from their use for a long time after first exposure.

An Exploratory Study of the Lifestyles of Female Students and Masked Obesity in Two Colleges in the Kanto Area / 日本プライマリ・ケア連合学会誌

<p><b>Introduction: </b>Many details about adolescent women's lifestyles and masked obesity have not been clarified in prior research. Thus, we conducted an exploratory survey on the lifestyle and masked obesity in female college students.</p><p><b>Methods: </b>From September to October in 2012, we investigated 85 female students aged 18-23 years in two colleges in the Kanto area and cross-sectionally investigated the differences in lifestyles between subjects with masked obesity [Body Mass Index (BMI) <25 kg/m² and Body Fat Percentage ≥30%] and those with standard proportions (18.5≤BMI<25 kg/m² and Body Fat Percentage=20-25%). Their body composition was measured using InBody430, and their lifestyles were investigated using a self-administered questionnaire.</p><p><b>Results: </b>Of them, there were 6 subjects (7.1%) with standard proportions and 25 subjects (29.4%) with masked obesity; 44.6% of the 56 subjects with standard weights had masked obesity. Differences were observed in their food intake frequency; the subjects with masked obesity consumed a smaller daily intake of green and yellow vegetables (<i>p</i><.001) and light-colored vegetables (<i>p</i>=.008), and more frequently consumed mayonnaise (<i>p</i>=.003) and fried foods (<i>p</i>=.018) than those with standard proportions.</p><p><b>Conclusion: </b>Masked obesity may increase the probability of having unhealthy dietary habits. It may be necessary for females with standard weights to receive dietary advice, and to have their body fat percentage regularly measured.</p>

Sentimientos en voz de estudiantes universitarias obesas / Feelings expressed by obese university female students

Resumen:

Introducción: la obesidad ha alcanzado proporciones epidémicas mundialmente, y cada año mueren, como mínimo, 2,6 millones de personas a causa de la misma o el sobrepeso. Las más afectadas son las mujeres, con casi 72%, en comparación con 68% de los varones, dado que su organismo tiende a generar más tejido adiposo y lo acumulan en el abdomen o en la cadera. Objetivo: interpretar los sentimientos de jóvenes universitarias obesas. Metodología: investigación cualitativa, método fenomenológico. Técnica de entrevista en profundidad, diario de campo y observación participante para recolección de datos. Como instrumento se utilizó una guía de preguntas relacionadas con sentimientos y emociones. Hallazgos: se encontraron sentimientos tales como la ansiedad, depresión, coraje, miedo, placer, odio, culpa y frustración. Conclusión: el problema de la obesidad está siempre ligado a sentimientos negativos los cuales producen en las estudiantes baja autoestima.

Dietary behavior and nutritional status among Chinese female college students residing in Korea

The purpose of this study was to analyze the nutritional status of Chinese female college students in Korea, and to investigate changes in their dietary behavior after residing in Korea. The subjects included 114 Chinese female college students currently studying in Korea. General characteristics and dietary behaviors before and after residing in Korea were investigated. Daily nutrients and food intake were assessed using a one-day 24-hour recall. Consumption of most nutrients, namely calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and folate was estimated to fall below the EAR for the Korean population. The proportions of subjects whose intake were estimated below the EAR for folate, calcium, vitamin B2, iron, zinc, and vitamin C were 93.0%, 71.9%, 66.7%, 65.8%, 65.8%, and 63.2%, respectively. In the current study, the dietary behavior scores fell significantly after Chinese students immigrated to Korea (p < 0.001); increased frequency of meal skipping, less consumption of fruits and vegetables, irregular meal pattern, and imbalanced diet were some of the significant changes among Chinese students before and after residing in Korea. In addition, consumption of most nutrients, including dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B group, vitamin C, and folate in the Worsened Group was significantly lower, compared with the No Change Group (p < 0.05). According to the changes in dietary behaviors, consumption of most nutrients, including dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B group, vitamin C, and folate in the Worsened Group was significantly lower than in the No Change Group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, these results indicated that Chinese students practiced more unhealthy dietary behaviors after residing in Korea and Chinese students residing in Korea showed poor nutrient-based diet quality. Conduct of a follow-up study using blood profile tests is needed in order to assess the nutritional status of Chinese students. These results would be used in planning of a nutritional surveillance program for Chinese students.

Survey of recognition of cyclomastopathy among female college students in Guangzhou / 现代临床护理

Objective To investigate the recognition of cyclomastopathy in female college students in Guangzhou.Method 300 female college students(90 medical students and 210 non-medical students)from 10 colleges in Guangzhou were involved in the survey using the self-designed questionnaire.Results Medical students had significantly higher recognition about cyclomastopathy than non-medical students(all P<0.05).The college students lacked of awareness of self breast care.Only 15.56%of the medical students and 11.43% of the non-medical students regularly took breast self-care.Conclusion To improve the social,school and students pay more attention to the breast diseases,strengthen the female university students about breast health education,has improtant significance for improving college students' knowledge of disease of mammary gland hyperplasia.

Knowledge and attitude towards the use of emergency contraceptive pills among college students.

Background: Emergency contraception is applied to prevent pregnancy after 72-120 hours of unprotected sexual intercourse. Emergency contraceptive (EC) pill is used to reduce unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion. EC pill is available as OTC in India since 2005. As EC pill highly used among adolescents we carried out to this study among college students. Methods: The study was conducted among female college students. A pre-validated questionnaire was used as tool for the study. It contains consent form and questions knowledge and attitude regarding EC pill. Results: We divided students into group A (medical, paramedical and pharmacy colleges) and group B (nonmedical colleges like science, arts and engineering). In group A 470 and group B 280 students were participated. Knowledge about appropriate time of taking EC pill (within 72 hours after sexual intercourse) was 44% in group A which is significant than 15% in group B. Knowledge about brand name, availability cost and side effects were more in group A than group B. Electronic media was the most common source of information mentioned by both the groups. Attitude regarding advice to use of EC pill to other was more in group A than group B. Conclusions: Knowledge about use of EC pill was higher in group A than group B. Attitude was not positive regarding availability of EC pill as OTC. So education about EC pill among young population is necessary.

Cannabis consumption by female Psychology students: The influence of perceived stress, coping and consumption of drugs in their social environment / Consumo de cannabis en alumnas de Psicología: influencia del estrés percibido, afrontamiento y consumo de drogas en su entorno

The consumption of cannabis has increased in the female population. The risk and protection factors associated with an increase or decrease in its consumption may differ as a function of gender, age and substance con׳ sumed. The objectives of the present study were to examine the relevance to cannabis consumption by female students of legal drugs consumed by the university students and family members, the consumption of legal and illicit drugs by friends, sociodemographic factors and, psychological variables (perceived stress and different coping strategies). Three questionnaires were administered to 465 female students studying for Psychology degrees. The prevalence of cannabis consumption was 36.3%. The variables predicting its consumption were: a) consumption of illicit drugs and cocaine by friends; b) consumption of tobacco by the students and; c) emotion-oriented coping.

El consumo de cannabis se ha incrementando en la población femenina. Los factores de riesgo o de protección asociados con un incremento o disminución de su consumo, pueden diferir en función del género, edad o sustancia de consumo. Los objetivos del presente estudio fueron examinar la relevancia que tiene el consumo de drogas legales de las universitarias y familiares, el consumo de drogas legales e ilegales de amigos, factores sociodemográficos y variables psicológicas (estrés percibido y diferentes estrategias de afrontamiento) en el consumo de cannabis. Se administraron tres cuestionarios a 465 alumnas que cursaban la Licenciatura de Psicología. La prevalencia de consumo de cannabis fue de 36.3 %. Las variables que predecían su consumo fueron: a) consumo de drogas ilegales y cocaína en amigos; b) consumo de tabaco en las alumnas y c) afrontamiento orientado a la emoción.

Effect of Two-year Course of Food and Nutrition on Improving Nutrition Knowledge, Dietary Attitudes and Food Habits of Junior College Female Students / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of two-year course of food and nutrition on improving nutrition knowledge, dietary attitudes and food habits of junior college female students by questionnaires. The subjects were 108 college female students enrolled in the department of food and nutrition in Gyeonggi area. The results were as follows: There were no significant changes in the weights and BMI (Body Mass Index) after 2-yr course of food and nutrition. Nutrition knowledge (14.7 vs 16.3, p < 0.001) and dietary attitude (34.3 vs 35.8, p < 0.01) increased significantly after 2-yr course. However, no significant changes in food habit were observed. Among nutrition knowledge, the scores of functions (4.5 vs 5.2, p < 0.001) and understanding (6.7 vs 7.4, p < 0.01) of nutrients were significantly increased. The recognition of nutrition knowledge increased significantly (83.1 vs 95.7, p < 0.001). Among food habit, dietary habit (13.2 vs 12.5, p < 0.01) and health related habit (15.6 vs 14.6, p < 0.001) were significantly lowered after 2-yr course. The change in dietary attitudes showed significantly positive correlation with food habit changes (p < 0.05). These results showed that 2-yr course of Food and Nutrition had improved the nutrition knowledge and dietary attitudes. Therefore, providing the more systematic and appropriate nutrition education to students during their study period will be improved dietary attitudes and food habits.

A Study on the Nutrition Knowledge and Nutritional Status of Food and Nutrition Major and Physical Science Major Female Students / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study is to examine the nutrition knowledge, characteristics related to, nutrient intakes, anthropometrics, biochemical indices of university female students by major (food and nutrition versus physical science). Data were taken from 120 university female students (60 from each major) and the results follows. The mean age of the subjects was 19.6 years old. Most of subjects responded that they were healthy; subjects majoring in physical science scored higher in regular exercise (p < 0.01) and were more satisfied with their own body figures (p < 0.01), compared with the counterparts. The total nutrition knowledge score was 81.01 +/- 12.3 for food and nutrition majors and 72.5 +/- 15.2 points for physical science majors. (p < 0.01) The percentages of body fat were significantly higher in the food and nutrition students than the counterparts. (p < 0.001) The result of biochemical analysis showed that both groups were in normal range. But there was some statistically significant difference between groups in GTP, HDL-cholesterol and ALP levels. It suggests that regular exercise might have a positive effect on the body. This study showed that although both groups had different knowledge of nutrition, there was not much difference in the intakes of nutrients. But especially, the intakes of calcium and iron were quite low in both groups. Subjects majoring in Physical science had more lipid intake, but they had lower body fat. This suggests that regular exercise in this group might have effects on the percentages of body fat. In future study, nutrition education might be planned to increase nutrition knowledge and to connect nutrition knowledge to eating behaviors and to promote health to regular exercise. Also, the desire and the social perception for pursuing alean body figure and being underweight should be changed for optimal health

The trial status and expectation degree on internet diet program by female university students : Focused on trial status

This study was to investigate the trial status of weight control with internet. A survey was carried out by self-questionnaires with 500 female university students in Seoul. The average height, weight, and PIBW(Percentage of Ideal Body Weight) of subjects were 162.2+/-4.8cm, 51.9+/-6.1kg and 93.7+/-11.0%. It appeared that 50.6% of subjects were abnormal range of body weight : in particular 43.4% of the subjects were underweight. While 80.7% of subjects have deeply interested in weight control, 63.4% of them have attempted diet. It showed that 92.9% of subjects used internet, 54.3 % of them knew internet diet site, however only 39 of subjects used internet diet program. Most subjects used internet diet program in order to acquire diet information. According to PIBW, the overweight group is higher frequency of joining internet diet program than the others group. Therefore, education of weight control was needed with internet in abnormal weight group.

Depression and Anxiety in Female Students of Children's Normal School / 中国心理卫生杂志

Objective:To investigate the rates of depression and anxiety in female students of a children's normal school Method:919 female students of a children's normal school were collected by stratified cluster sampling, they completed BDI (Beck Depression Inventory), SAS (Zung's self-rating anxiety scale), EPQ, FES (family environment scale) and a self-made inventory on risk behaviors of adolescents Result:The rate of depression was 48 75%, that of anxiety was 16 32% Students of different grades had different rates of depression, but not different rates of anxiety Students with depression had higher N score and P score, and lower E score and less Lying in EPQ than normal control In family environment, the depressed students had poorer cohesion, expressiveness, independence, achievement, intellectual and organization than normal Logistic regression analysis showed depression related to where the students come from (rural or urban), intimacy, dieting, academic achievement and education level of their mother Anxiety related to expressiveness, dieting and drinking within one month Conclusion:Depression and anxiety are so common in female students of children's normal school, which need more attention from mental health professionals

Physical and Psychological-Emotional Status according to Type of Personality in Female College Student who Smoke / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the physical and psychological- emotional status according to type of personality of female college student smokers and to provide baseline data for smoking cessation education programs for women. METHOD: The data were collected from May to June, 2002. The subjects were 119 female students who smoked. The data were analyzed using SPSS/PC. RESULTS: The results are as follows 1. There were 91 (76.5%) A type and 28 (23.5%) B Type personality types, indicating that female student smokers were more frequently type A rather than type B. 2.Perceived health status by personality type indicated that those with type B (27.71+/-4.67) perceived higher health status than those with type A (26.53+/-4.60) but the result was not statistically significant (p=0.237). 3.Perceived stress by personality type indicated that those with type B (83.71+/-13.13) perceived more stress than those with type A (70.52+/-12.35). 4.Differences between depression by personality type indicated that those with type B (47.21+/-8.53) perceived more stress than those with type A (45.42+/-7.32) but this was not statistically significant (p=.277). 5.There were significant negative correlations between perceived health status and stress (r=-0.300, P<0.004), depression and perceived health status (r=-0.456, P<0.000). There was significant positive correlation between stress and depression (r=0.700, P<0.000). 6.There was no significant difference between perceived health status, stress, or depression according to general characteristics. CONCLUSION: According to the results, researchers should continually identify women's smoking behavior included various physical and psychological variables related to women's health. In addition, programs for improving physical and psychological health should be designed and operated to decrease the perception of stress and to increase the perception of health motivation for women smokers.