BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) was predominantly studied among university students who were in their early 20s; as a result, little is known about the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome among adolescent girls. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and identify factors associated with premenstrual syndrome among secondary school female students in the Dessie city administration, 2023.
METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving a sample of 630 participants. A structured self-administered data collection tool was used to gather the necessary information. To ensure data quality, the pretesting and training of the data collectors and supervisors were conducted. The collected data were entered into Epi-data software and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Frequency tables, graphs, means, and medians were used to describe the characteristics of the study participants. Binary logistic regression was employed to identify significant factors. Variables with a p-value ≤ 0.05 with 95% confidence interval (CI) of adjusted odds ratio (AOR) in the final multivariable logistic regression were reported as statistically significant factors associated with PMS. Model fitness was evaluated using the Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test.
RESULTS: In the present study, the prevalence of PMS was 22%, 95% CI = 19-26%.
METHODS: Age ≥ 18 years (AOR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.86), duration of menstruation ≥ 7 days (AOR = 3.61; 95% CI: 1.25, 10.37), presence of chronic illness (AOR = 2.08; 95% CI:1.04, 4.16), coffee intake (AOR = 6.05; 95% CI: 2.05, 17.87), alcohol intake (AOR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.28, 0.86), use of pain medication (AOR = 2.06; 95% CI:1.10, 3.86), use of hormonal contraceptives (AOR = 3.9; 95% CI:1.58, 9.62), sleep disturbance (AOR = 3.82; 95% CI: 2.29, 6.42) and physical exercise (AOR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.28, 0.87) were significantly associated with PMS.
CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of students in this study were affected by premenstrual syndrome. Age, duration of menstruation, presence of chronic illness, coffee intake, use of pain medication, use of hormonal contraceptives, and sleep disturbance were significantly associated with PMS. Students should avoid excessive use of alcohol, coffee intake and use of pain medication without prescription.

Cervical cancer is the most common Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)-related disease among women. Since 2008, HPV vaccination has been routinely recommended for pre-adolescent and adolescent girls in Uganda as the primary preventive measure for cervical cancer. However, in Uganda, most especially in Lira district, there is limited literature on HPV vaccination uptake and associated factors among girls aged 9-14years. This study assessed the uptake of HPV vaccine and associated factors among in-school girls aged 9-14 years in Lira City, northern Uganda.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 245 primary school girls aged 9-14 years in Lira City, northern Uganda. Multistage sampling technique was used to sample eligible participants and data was collected using interviewer administered questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS version 23.0. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression at 95% level of significance were used to identify the level of HPV vaccine uptake and predictors respectively.
HPV vaccination uptake was at 19.6% (95% CI,14.8-25.1) among the school girls aged 9-14 years in Lira City, northern Uganda. The mean age of the girls was 12.11 (± 1.651) years. Predictors that were independently associated with HPV vaccine uptake included; recommendation from health worker [aOR 9.09, 95% CI (3.19-25.88), P ≤ 0.001], taught about cervical cancer at school [aOR,12.56, 95% CI (4.60-34.28), P ≤ 0.001], and exposure to outreach clinics [aOR, 4.41, 95% CI (1.37-14.19), P = 0.013].
The study found that one in five of the school girls in Lira City, northern Uganda. received HPV vaccine. Girls who were taught about cervical cancer at school, exposure to outreach clinics and received health worker recommendation had more odds of receiving HPV vaccine than their counter parts. The Ministry of Health should strengthen school based cervical cancer education, awareness raising about HPV vaccination and health worker recommendations to improve HPV vaccine uptake among school girls in Uganda.

Adolescents are a population group that is vulnerable to nutritional problems other than toddlers, especially young women. Special attention to the dietary issues of adolescent girls needs to be obtained along with the increase in the adolescent population in Indonesia because this affects the growth and development of the body and will impact adult nutrition problems. The purpose of the study was to analyze the relationship between diet assessment and oral health status of adolescent girls, the relationship between oral hygiene behavior and oral health status of adolescent girls, and the simultaneous relationship between dietary assessment and oral hygiene behavior with the oral health status of adolescent girls. Analytical research using the survey method was conducted on 96 young women in two junior high schools in Bandung. Assessment of diet seen from eating behavior and anthropometric examination. Eating behavior using the Adolescent Food Habit Checklist Index questionnaire and anthropometric investigations were carried out by looking at body height, body weight, and Mid Upper Arm Circumference using the standards from the Indonesian Minister of Health Regulation 2020. Oral hygiene behavior using the Oral Hygiene Behavior Index questionnaire. Oral health status using the Dental Health Status Assessment. The results were statistically analyzed with Spearman\'s Rank Correlation, and Multiple Linear Regression tests showed no significant relationship between dietary assessment and oral health status (eating behavior with a p-value = 0.429 and anthropometric examination with a p-value = 0.262). A significant association between oral hygiene behavior and oral health status, with a p-value of 0.003, while there is no simultaneous relationship between diet assessment and oral hygiene behavior with oral health status, with multiple r 2 = 13.2%.

BACKGROUND: Menstruation is a milestone event in a girl\'s life and the beginning of reproductive life. Lack of knowledge and poor sanitary practices during menstruation has been associated with serious ill-health ranging from genital tract infections, urinary tract infections, and bad odor.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practices about menstrual hygiene and perceived reproductive morbidity among adolescent school girls in Puducherry.
METHODS: A school based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2015 to July 2015 in Puducherry among 242 adolescent school girls in the age group of 12-18 years using multistage random sampling technique. Data were collected using a predesigned pretested, structured proforma by personal interview method after having informed written consent.
RESULTS: The mean age for menarche was 12.99 ± 0.9 years; 51.7% of respondents were not aware of menstruation before attaining menarche; 71.5% and 61.2% were not known about the cause and source of the menstrual bleeding, respectively; 78.1% used only sanitary pads whereas 21.9% used both old clothes and sanitary pads as the absorbents. Unsatisfactory cleaning of the external genitalia was practiced by 12% of respondents. Higher prevalence of dysmenorrhea (82.2%) was mentioned by the respondents; 25.2% reported excessive genital discharge. Statistically significant association was found between perceived reproductive morbidity and poor menstrual hygiene practices. About 88.4% of the study population reported any one of the reproductive morbidity, and only 37.4% sought for medical treatment from a health facility.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study has underscored the necessity of adolescent girls to have adequate and precise knowledge about menstruation before menarche. Proper menstrual hygiene practices which could be imparted through appropriate interventions at earlier stages of life can prevent the girls and women from suffering reproductive morbidities.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to describe the extent of sexual activity in adolescent school girls.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with prolective collection of data carried out at Lycée General Leclerc, Yaounde (Cameroon), from October 1 to November 30, 2011. Heterosexual coitus was considered as sexual activity. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was proposed to all consenting girl students aged 10 to 19 years. The data were analyzed using Epi Info 3.2.1 and Microsoft Excel 2007 software.
RESULTS: Of the 2660 students who responded to the questionnaire, 21.3% (566) admitted being sexually active. Out of these, 64.3% (364) were aged between 10 and 16 years at their first heterosexual contact. The mean age at the first sexual intercourse was 15.3 years. Although 56.4% (319) of the sexually active respondents had only one sexual partner, 43.6% (247) of them had at least two partners. Sexual activity was occasional in 71.4% of those being sexually active. Meanwhile, 52.1% (295) of the sexually active adolescent girls used condoms during sexual intercourse, 41.5% (235) did so occasionally, and 6.4% (36) had regular unprotected sex.
CONCLUSIONS: More than one-fifth of adolescent girls were sexually active in this study. Sexual intercourse started mostly at the age of 16 or less, and it was mostly occasional. Half of the cases had multiple sexual partners, and half were not using condoms during sexual intercourse. We, thus, recommend the implementation of interventions aimed at delaying the age of the first sexual intercourse and accessibility of condoms to students in this setting.

HIV/AIDS is recognized as a national priority health issue in Ghana. Consequently, the Ghana AIDS Commission and the National AIDS Control Programme were established, among other things, to enhance the knowledge and awareness on the nature, causes, effects and means of managing the spread of HIV/AIDS among populations at risk in Ghana. Through the efforts of these bodies and other stakeholders in health, several awareness creation and sensitization efforts have been targeted at teenage girls, a high risk group in Ghana. This study therefore assesses the knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS among senior high school girls in their teens in Ghana using a sample of 260 female students of West African Senior High School. The data collected were analyzed and discussed under relevant themes and within the context of the literature. The study revealed that generally, senior high school girls were knowledgeable on the nature, modes of transmission, and prevention of HIV/AIDS. There were however some students who exhibited limited knowledge on some issues including the spiritual causes and treatment of HIV/AIDS, contacts and associations with infected persons, as well as determination of HIV infection from appearances rather than testing. The study also raised important concerns about the reluctance of senior high school girls to use condoms as a preventive measure and the need to reorient HIV/AIDS awareness interventions in Ghana.