Pre-menarcheal information on menstruation improves utilization of menstrual sanitary pads among young girls in rural eastern zone of Tigray region, northern Ethiopia

Background In Ethiopia, many young girls face numerous challenges in managing their menstruation. However, community-based studies on the use of menstrual sanitary pads and associated factors are limited. Therefore, this community-based study aimed to identify factors associated with utilization of menstrual sanitary pads among young girls in a rural setting. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2018 among youths aged 15?24 years in the rural eastern zone of the Tigray region, northern Ethiopia. This study included 330 girls aged 15?24 years who had started menses. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the determinants of menstrual sanitary pad utilization. Results In this study, 82.4% (95% CI 78.3?86.1%) of the girls utilized menstrual sanitary pads. The remaining (17.6%) used nothing or unhygienic homemade sanitary pads to maintain their menstrual hygiene. Being single (AOR?=?2.89; 95% CI 1.21?6.87), being Afar ethnicity (AOR?=?0.18; 95% CI 0.05?0.72), had road access to marketplace (AOR?=?2.46; 95% CI 1.28?4.71), and receiving pre-menarcheal information on menstruation (AOR?=?2.86; 95% CI 1.34?6.08) were the independent predictors of menstrual sanitary pad utilization. Conclusions Our study revealed that a significant number (17.6%) of young girls used nothing or unhygienic homemade sanitary pads to maintain their menstrual hygiene. Provision of information on menstruation during the pre-menarcheal period in young girls could improve their utilization of menstrual sanitary pads. Therefore, young girls should receive appropriate information about menstruation early before menarche through formal and informal means of communication. Keywords: Pre-menarcheal information, Menstruation, Sanitary pads, Young girls, Tigray, Ethiopia