Educational intervention to improve menstrual health knowledge among adolescent schoolgirls at a private school in Peru: a pre-experimental study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving menstrual health knowledge among adolescent schoolgirls at a school in the district of San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima, Peru.

Methods: A pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest study was conducted with 20 female students. An author-developed questionnaire (KR-20 = 0.72; Aiken’s V = 1.00) was administered before and after a five-session weekly educational intervention based on meaningful learning. Knowledge of physiological aspects, hygiene and self-care, and myths and beliefs related to menstruation was assessed. The Wilcoxon test was used (p < 0.05), and the effect size was estimated using Cohen’s d.

Results: The median age was 15 years (IQR: 14–15). A significant increase in the total knowledge score was observed after the intervention (22 at pretest and 29 at posttest; p < 0.001), with a large effect size (d = 1.40; 95% CI: 0.77–2.02). The greatest improvements were observed in items related to the phases of the menstrual cycle (from 35.0% at pretest to 95.0% at posttest), the direction of genital cleansing (from 35.0% at pretest to 95.0% at posttest), and in the identification of myths, such as the perception of menstruation as contaminated blood (from 45.0% at pretest to 95.0% at posttest).

Conclusion: The educational intervention was associated with a significant improvement in menstrual health knowledge among adolescent schoolgirls, with a large effect size. These findings support the implementation of structured educational programs in school settings, although studies with more robust designs are needed to confirm the effectiveness and sustainability of such interventions.