SCHOOL WASH CONDITIONS AND DETERMINANTS OF MENSTRUAL HYGIENE PRACTICE AMONG FEMALE STUDENTS IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA.

Adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions are essential for safe and dignified menstrual hygiene management in schools. This study assessed school WASH conditions and determinants of menstrual hygiene practice among female secondary school students in Egor Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 414 female senior secondary students choosen by multistage sampling; 402 completed the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 97.1%. A pretested self-administered instrument assessed water access, sanitation, hand hygiene, privacy, menstrual hygiene barriers, knowledge, attitude and practice. Chi-square tests and multiple binary logistic regression were performed using IBM SPSS version 27-0, with statistical significance set at p < 0.050 and 95% Confidence Interval. Analyses of WASH conditions and menstrual hygiene practice included 375 respondents who had commenced menstruation. Although 84.8% reported a school water source and 81.3% reported running water, only 44.3% had a private place to change menstrual pads and 18.9% reported access to hand sanitizers. The commonest barriers were lack of privacy (53.9%), inadequate toilets (48.0%) and inadequate washing facilities (36.3%). Lack of privacy independently increased the odds of poor practice (adjusted odds ratio = 1.77; 95% confidence interval = 1.04-3.01; p = 0.035), while good knowledge increased the odds of good practice (adjusted odds ratio = 2.21; 95% confidence interval = 1.17-4.19; p = 0.015). School WASH improvements should prioritize privacy, functional sanitation and hand-hygiene supplies alongside menstrual health education.