Impact of a School-Based Educational Program on Knowledge and Self-Care Practices Related to menstruation among female students in Al-Kut City/ Iraq
Abstract
Objective: To identify the impact of an Educational Program on Knowledge and self-care Practices Related to Menstruation among adolescent girls in Al-Kut City/Iraq
Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group design was conducted in governmental female secondary schools in Al-Kut city, Iraq, from November 2025 to April 2026. A purposive sample of 200 female students (4th and 5th) secondary grade assigned in to an intervention group (n=100) and a control group (n=100). The sample size was determined using G* power software (version 3.1.9.7). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire consisting of four parts; sociodemographic characteristics for students and sociodemographic characteristics for parents’, Knowledge regarding menstruation and Self-Care Practices During Menstruation. The data were analysed using (SPSS), version 26.0, with P value < 0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: The study group showed significant improvement in knowledge levels in the post test, shifting from "Average"/ "Incorrect" responses to a good knowledge regarding to menstruation, symptoms of puberty, usual length of bleeding during menstrual period, and functions and illness related to menstrual cycle. In particular, the control group demonstrated a slight increase in knowledge on menarche and menstrual cycle; however less significant than the intervention group. In general, the intervention group had more knowledge than control group after engagement in an educational program. The findings showed The study group had significant high self-care practices scores at post-test in most of the items, and many of them were in "Good" category. The mean score rose from 21.05(±2.962) during the pre-test to 24.76 (±2.663) during the post-test after engagement in an educational program. In contrast, the students in the control group show no clear change in mean score during the pre-test (20.88±2.861) and post-test (20.68±2.860), 58% of students demonstrate average self-care practices during pre-test and post-test.
Conclusion: the education program significantly enhances knowledge and self-care practices among Female adolescents school students' compared to the control group.
Recommendations: Conducting regular school based educational sessions on menstruation and self-care practices, as well as integration menstrual health education into the secondary school curriculum.
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