Menstrual Waste Management Practices Among Female Students in Niger Delta Development Commission Hostels in Tertiary Institutions in Niger Delta, Nigeria

Menstrual waste management practices are all the activities that women and girls put together from the time the menstruation starts till it ceases. Managing high level of hygiene can be problematic for many women and girls especially when they are out of the comfort of their homes. The focus of this study is to examine the menstrual waste management practices among female students in hostels built by the Niger Delta Development Commission in tertiary institutions in Niger Delta region. The population for the study was made up of female students of NDDC hostels in 3 tertiary schools in the Niger Delta region. All of whom are all 100 level. With a population of 820. The sample of the study was 415 selected using simple systematic sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.8. Permission to carry out this study was obtained from the Ethical committee and informed consent was also sought. Results show that cotton wool, regular pads, and sanitary napkins are the common materials used by female students, used pads are disposed in designated bin, buried in pit, or burnt among others. The health risks in managing menstrual waste varies, while global guidelines for menstrual waste management are; access to clean water supply,use of designated bin but no promotion of awareness to dispel myths to reduce stigma. Recommendations: include health education programs to create more awareness and and collaborative efforts between students, school authorities, and government agencies to improve menstrual waste management in NDDC built hostels.