Factors Influencing Rural Teenage Girls' Menstrual Hygiene Management Case study: ST. PAUL'S HIGH SCHOOL MUNYONYI, KAGONGI SUB COUNTY, MBARARADISTRICT

General objective: To determine the factors influencing menstrual hygiene management among rural teenage girls in Kagongi sub-county, Mbarara district. ResearchProblem:UNICEF approximates that at least 1in 10 of girls that menstruate skip school for 4-5 days for every 28 days cycle and others dropout completely.An increasing number of studies such as Loughnan et al, (2016) indicate that girls who struggle at school during menstruation are high in low-income settings. This study aimed at establishing these factors that constrained adolescent girls to perform safe menstrual hygiene practices. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional study that involved 102 respondents. The study used a self-administered questionnaire, a focused group guide, and an observation checklist as the data collection tools. A simple random sampling method was usedto reduce bias and every respondent consented to participate in the study. Conclusion: The study concluded that there was a low percentage ofteenage girls practicing safe menstrual methodsat St. Paul's high school, Kagongisub-county, Mbarara district. Recommendations: The Ministry of Educationto incorporate menstrual hygiene management into the school curriculum. The government should train schools on how to make reusable sanitary pads to make them accessible to every girl. The schools should construct girls' sanitary facilities with washrooms and private rooms for changing adolescent girls