- CODEN : IAJPBB
- issn 2349-7750
TITLE:
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, PERCEPTION OF WOMEN TOWARDS VAGINAL DISCHARGE
AUTHORS:
Hayat M Saleh Al-jumah , Fatimah Abdulmajeed Al-Thonayan , Esra Hassan Almasskin , Alawyah Adnan Alshkhouri , Ahlam Sulaiman Alhussain , Zainab Bader Al-Khalaf 3, Wala’a Naji Alabadi , Etedal Mohammed Mukhtar Hawsawi , Lujain Eid Alenzy , Munirah Rashed Aldawsari
ABSTRACT:
Background: Vaginal discharge is one of the most common complaints and reasons of gynecological consolation among women especially during reproductive age. Also, it represents a major problem for many women that affect their quality of life and cause anxiety and discomfort. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of abnormal vaginal discharge among women in reproductive age as well as analyzing the knowledge, attitude, perception of women toward vaginal discharge in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in different regions of Saudi Arabia from the period of 1 April to 30 July 2020. The study population included all females who are sexually or non-sexually active complaining of vaginal discharge. Pre-testing of the questionnaire on 20 respondents, after which necessary changes were made, and the questionnaire was re-administered. Data was compiled and analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS, version 16) and results were analyzed with frequencies and Chi-squared test as appropriate. P value was considered significant if <0.05. Results: a total of 4433 cases presented with abnormal vaginal discharge were examined during the period of study. Regarding knowledge, participants said that vaginal discharge usually smells in 23.9% of the participants and it was transparent in 66.4%, brownish in 0.6%, yellowish in 5.6% and whitish in 27.4%. 45.5% use daily towels, 41.4% use lotion for sensitive area, 91% wear cotton underwear, 26.2% use bath salts, and 70.3% use blades to remove hair in pubic region. 26.9% of participants think that all vaginal discharge is caused by a problem, 66.4% think that normal discharge color is transparent, 23.9% think that normal vaginal discharge has color, and 64.2% think that the time of vaginal discharge is usually before and after menstruation. There was a significant correlation between hygiene and presence of abnormal discharge as we found that the type of underwear usually used, the way to dry the area, using sprays or scented wipes for the area, using popular mixtures to take care of the area, using a lotion for the sensitive area and the way used in pubic hair removal affects directly the presence of abnormal vaginal discharge with P value = 0.001. Conclusion: The term vaginal discharge is used by public to describe any genital discomfort. Diagnosis of any disorder must be verified by physical and laboratory examination to differentiate abnormal from physiologic discharge and to determine diagnosis and treatment. Our findings show that it is important to orient the public females about sexual health and vaginal discharge. Efforts and medical awareness campaigns and conferences for women and girls to increase their knowledge of vaginal discharge should be carried out in Saudi Arabia. Key Words: vaginal discharge, abnormal vaginal discharge, KAP of vaginal discharge, knowledge and attitude about vaginal discharge
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