Assessment of Knowledge & Risk of Urinary Tract Infection among High school girls of Thimphu, Bhutan

Abstract

Adolescents girls are more vulnerable to Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) given their biological system and other factors like low water intake, poor menstrual hygiene management, and hormonal changes. However, there is a huge research gap in Bhutan in terms of exploring this topic in a high school-based setting. The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of UTI among the high school girls of Thimphu, identify the risk factors, and come up with recommendations. The study included 162 female students from Pelkhil Higher Secondary School, Kelki Higher Secondary School, Motithang Higher Secondary School, and Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School. Data collection was done through a survey questionnaire and face-to-face interviews. SPSS was used for data analysis. In this study, 58 % of the respondents know UTI, while 42 % do not. No association was found between knowledge on UTI and their diagnosis among the population. However, 60 % of the respondents who were diagnosed with UTI did not know the causes of UTI and 40 % did not know its symptoms. The chi-square value for the latter one was 0.048 indicating a strong association. Similarly, it was found that a majority of the respondents (72.2%) hold their urine during class hours and the most common reasons for holding back urination were fear of missing the lesson (28.4%) followed by low self-esteem to seek permission to visit the washroom from teachers (27.2%) and the fear of being scolded/punished by teachers (21%). In terms of overall menstrual hygiene management, all the schools yielded a positive outcome. 63.7 % of the participants agreed that they clean their vaginal area during washroom visits (school hours) & 78.4 % feel comfortable changing pads during school hours. The frequency of changing pads was more than once for 77.2 % of the respondents. In conclusion, this study showed that although all the schools have improved water supply and menstrual hygiene management, UTI awareness was low among the population. Besides, a maximum of the respondents delayed their urine during class hours. Thus, schools should work towards promoting UTI awareness and come up with solutions (like reforming rules and regulations visiting toilets) to reduce the risk of UTI among the population.