THE EFFECT OF EDUCATION PROVIDED TO ADOLESCENTS LIVING IN A CONTAINER SETTLEMENT ON THEIR GENITAL HYGIENE BEHAVIOURS AND MENSTRUAL EXPERIENCES

June 12, 2026 updated by: Aslıhan AKSU, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University

THE EFFECT OF EDUCATION TAILORED TO THE GENITAL AND MENSTRUAL HYGIENE NEEDS OF ADOLESCENTS LIVING IN A CONTAINER SETTLEMENT ON THEIR GENITAL HYGIENE BEHAVIOURS AND MENSTRUAL EXPERIENCES

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of education provided to adolescents living in a container city, tailored to their needs regarding genital and menstrual hygiene, on their genital hygiene behaviours and menstrual experiences. The training is planned to consist of a total of two sessions (four hours), with each session lasting two hours, held twice a week (Saturdays and Sundays), with a maximum of 15 adolescent girls in each group. The training schedule will be determined based on the days and times suitable for the adolescents. In addition, a copy of the educational material prepared for the training will be provided to each adolescent girl. Appropriate interactive educational techniques (demonstration, role-play, question-and-answer, brainstorming, games, etc.) relevant to the topic will be used in each session of the educational program. Prior to the education, the adolescent girls will be asked to complete the Demographic Characteristics Form, the Genital Hygiene Behaviour Scale (GHDÖ) and the Menstrual Experiences Scale (MDÖ) based on self-reports. Following the final session of the education programme, these adolescent girls will be asked to complete these forms again. Finally, following the collection of the final test data, follow-up data will be collected from the adolescents at the end of the third month.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Preventive health services related to menstrual health during adolescence can prevent serious reproductive health problems that negatively affect women's lives. Protecting and improving reproductive health during this period is possible only if adolescents are aware of correct information and practices regarding genital and menstrual hygiene and take more responsibility for their own health. Identifying deficiencies in genital and menstrual hygiene knowledge and practices among adolescents and improving genital hygiene behaviors through education during adolescence will become an important attitude and behavior in protecting women's health in the long term. This planned research aims to identify and address the genital and menstrual hygiene needs of adolescents living in container settlements, who are therefore a disadvantaged group. The formation of a healthy society is possible only if women, who play a vital role in the continuation of the generation, are healthy. To instill correct genital and menstrual hygiene behaviors, it is necessary to identify the obstacles affecting these behaviors, incorrect/inadequate hygiene practices, and menstrual experiences, and to provide adolescents with education according to their needs. Success in genital hygiene education, especially for adolescents, depends on transforming information into skills, and then developing those skills into correct habits through practical application. Otherwise, the inadequate and incorrect information, erroneous habits, and behaviors acquired by adolescent girls on their own will inevitably be passed on to future generations. Developing genital hygiene behaviors through education during adolescence will become an important attitude and behavior in protecting women's health in the long term. Within the scope of the project, educational materials will be developed and comprehensive training will be provided to adolescent girls living in container cities, addressing their ongoing genital and menstrual hygiene needs that persist even after the earthquake. This study will provide training to adolescent girls living in the earthquake zone in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye, in February 2023, addressing their unmet needs regarding genital and menstrual hygiene. This study will enable the rapid implementation of services related to genital and menstrual hygiene, a crucial component of reproductive health, and will pave the way for future studies in earthquake-affected areas. Accordingly, this study aimed to determine the effect of genital hygiene training given to adolescents living in a container city, based on their needs, on their genital hygiene behaviors and menstrual experiences.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

68

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Kahramanmaraş
      • Kahramanmaraş, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey (Türkiye), 46050
        • Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Living in the container city
  • Being aged between 14 and 18
  • Currently enrolled in secondary education
  • Experiencing menstruation
  • Not having any physical or psychological conditions that hinder communication
  • Being able to speak and write in Turkish
  • Volunteering to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not be an earthquake victim
  • Not being aged between 14 and 18
  • Not currently enrolled in secondary education
  • Not menstruating
  • Having a physical or psychological condition that impedes communication
  • Being unable to speak or write Turkish
  • Being unable to attend all sessions of the training programme
  • Not volunteering to participate in the study
  • Withdrawing from the study of one's own volition.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Educational Intervention Group ✅
Genital and Menstrual Hygiene Education for Adolescents
Other: Genital and Menstrual Hygiene Education for Adolescents
Participants attended a structured 'Genital and Menstrual Hygiene Education' programme comprising two sessions delivered over the course of a week (two days a week, two hours per session; total duration: four hours). The training covered the anatomy and physiology of the female genital organs, the menstrual cycle, genital hygiene and factors affecting it, the characteristics of normal and abnormal vaginal discharge, the importance of menstrual hygiene, and personal hygiene practices. This intervention was specifically designed to improve adolescents' knowledge and behaviour regarding genital and menstrual hygiene.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Genital Hygiene Behaviours
Time Frame: at baseline (before the intervention), immediately after completion of the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up.
The validity and reliability study of the Genital Hygiene Behaviours Scale, which is to be used to determine adolescents' genital hygiene behaviours, was conducted by Karahan (2017). The scale consists of 23 items and three sub-dimensions (General Hygiene, Menstrual Hygiene and Awareness of Abnormal Findings). Items 7, 14, 19, 20 and 23 on the scale are reverse-coded. Higher scores on this five-point Likert-type scale represent more positive menstrual experiences. The Cronbach's alpha value for the entire scale was found to be 0.80, whilst the General Hygiene Subscale was 0.70; the Menstrual Hygiene Subscale was 0.74; and the Awareness of Abnormal Findings Subscale was 0.81 (Karahan, 2017).
at baseline (before the intervention), immediately after completion of the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up.
Menstrual Experiences
Time Frame: at baseline (before the intervention), immediately after completion of the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up.
Menstrual Experiences Scale (MES), which will be used to assess adolescents' menstrual experiences, was developed by Hennegan and colleagues (2020) (Hennegan et al., 2020). The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the MES were established by Irmak Vural and Varışoğlu (2021). The scale consists of 27 items and four sub-dimensions (Material and Home Environment Needs, Transport and School Environment Needs, Concerns about Material Reliability, and Insecurity regarding Disposal and Disposal). The items within the 'Concerns about Material Reliability' and 'Insecurity regarding Replacement and Disposal' sub-dimensions are reverse-coded. Higher scores on the scale represent more positive menstrual experiences. In the original form of the scale, the Cronbach's alpha value was found to be 0.77. In the Turkish version of the scale, the Cronbach's alpha value for the entire scale was found to be 0.78, whilst the Cronbach's alpha value for the Home Environment
at baseline (before the intervention), immediately after completion of the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 11, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 19, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

January 19, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 12, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 12, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 17, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 12, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • KahramanmaraşSIU-NURSING-AA-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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