Educational Needs of Adolescents Regarding Normal Puberty and Menstrual Patterns
OBJECTIVE:
The
study aimed to determine the level of knowledge and the sources of information
about normal puberty and menstrual patterns in Turkish schoolgirls from
İstanbul.
METHODS:
The study
sample was comprised of 922 randomly chosen schoolgirls. A questionnaire survey
of knowledge of normal pubertal development and menstrual patterns was
conducted.
RESULTS:
The age
of the girls ranged between 10 and 17 years and 82.3% had had menarche. The
leading source of pubertal information was the mothers (84.2%). There was no
statistically significant relationship between the mothers' education level and
the level of knowledge of the students about pubertal development (p>0.05).
The main source for 18% of students was their teacher, but only 6% had a
preference for their teacher providing education on this topic.
Students who
attained menarche preferred education about puberty to be given by health
professionals and to both genders at the same setting (p<0.01). A total of
31.5% of students thought that the first symptom of puberty was acne. Half
(50.7%) of the students did not know the time period between the beginning of
puberty and menarche. The girls who had attained menarche were more
knowledgeable about puberty, largely through their own experience.
CONCLUSION:
This
study shows that schoolgirls have an insufficient level of knowledge about
normal puberty. Education programs must be conducted for students and their
parents.
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