How Social Cultural and Belief Affect Girl Students’ Menstrual Hygiene Management in Tanzania

Happiness Silvester Masatu & Elizabeth Msoka
St John’s University of Tanzania
Email: masatuhapy225@gmail.com/ elizabethmsoka@gmail.com

Abstract: The study examined how social cultural and belief affect girl students’ menstrual hygiene management in Tanzania. The study adopted exploratory research design. This study employed qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews and focus group as data collection tools. A total of 29 students from four different private and public school in Dodoma city were involved. The study found that social cultural and beliefs affect girl students’ menstrual hygiene management; majority of girls were not allowed to cook, touch, or gather with others and avoided to talk anything about menstruation instead of taking instruction from members of the family. They were not allowed to plant and harvest when menstruate, if they did its believed that crops will wither, though only few school have few knowledge which support girl students during menstrual period. The study recommends that; society must abandon their poor traditional customs which discouraged girls from participating in a particular activity when they were in the menstruation period. Traditional leaders and female guardians should play a pivotal role in teaching girls on menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and resolved challenges among school girls.