Assessment of the barriers towards menstrual hygiene management: evidence from a qualitative study among school communities: lessons from Bahir Dar city in northwest Ethiopia.

Background: The challenges of safe menstrual hygiene management practices in low-income settings, including the study areas are pressing. However, Studies specifically focusing on barriers that schoolgirls face in managing monthly menstruation in schools of Bahir Dar are inadequate and scarce. Method: To ensure the robustness of the findings, a comprehensive study was conducted among schoolgirls and boy students aged 12-20 in three schools. This study employed focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with students and leaders of the school gender club. A word cloud generator was used to visually represent frequently mentioned keywords, and the data generated from interviews were analyzed using the Open Code 4.03 tool. Results: The findings, derived from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, revealed several significant barriers that schoolgirls face in practicing safe menstrual hygiene management. These barriers, including sociocultural factors (133), inadequate use of menstrual hygiene management facilities (73), inadequate knowledge before menarche (59), and a general lack of support (35), underscore the multifaceted nature of the issues. Importantly, these findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted interventions to address these barriers and improve menstrual hygiene management among schoolgirls. Conclusion: Schoolgirls in Bahir Dar encounter numerous challenges in maintaining safe menstrual hygiene practices. Addressing the identified modifiable barriers represents crucial areas for intervention, requiring collaborative efforts from school communities and other relevant stakeholders to create an environment conducive to promoting and enhancing safe menstrual hygiene practices.