skip to main content

Factors Associated with Genital Hygiene Behaviors in Cervical Cancer Patients in Surakarta, Indonesia

*Afriza Umami orcid  -  University of Szeged, Hungary
Sudalhar Sudalhar  -  Stikes Muhammadiyah Bojonegoro, Indonesia
Anita Lufianti  -  Universitas An Nuur, Indonesia
Edit Paulik  -  University of Szeged, Hungary
Regina Molnár  -  University of Szeged, Hungary
Open Access Copyright (c) 2021 Nurse Media Journal of Nursing
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Citation Format:
Abstract

Background: Maintaining genital cleanliness is essential for women since intimate organ problems can cause female tract infections. Poor genital hygiene can affect sexually transmitted infections, and therefore, it is prominent to investigate factors related to genital hygiene behaviors in women to reduce this type of infection.
Purpose: This study aimed to find out the factors associated with genital hygiene behaviors in cervical cancer patients.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted on cervical cancer patients in Surakarta, Indonesia, from December 2017 to February 2018. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 178 subjects using a fixed disease sampling technique that consisted of 56 cases of poor genital hygiene behaviors and 122 controls of good genital hygiene behaviors with a comparison of 1:2. The dependent variable was genital hygiene behaviors, while the independent variables were stress, exposure to social media regarding genital hygiene, environmental sanitation, husband’s education, and support. Logistic regression was employed for data analysis.
Results: Genital hygiene behaviors increased with exposure to social media related to genital hygiene (OR=9.20; 95% CI=3.87 to 21.87, p<0.001), good environmental sanitation (OR=5.16; 95% CI=2.19 to 12.14, p<0.001), high husband’s education (OR=6.49; 95% CI=2.23 to 18.91, p=0.001) and support (OR=2.88; 95% CI=1.24 to 6.67, p=0.013). Women who experienced psychological problems such as stress showed decreased genital hygiene behaviors (OR=0.25; 95% CI=0.94 to 0.71, p=0.009).
Conclusions: Genital hygiene behaviors in women increased with exposure to social media related to genital hygiene, adequate environmental sanitation, high husbands’ education, and support. In contrast, stress decreased women’s behaviors in practicing genital hygiene. These findings emphasize the need for women to improve genital hygiene behaviors as well as for nurses to explain how to increase women's genital hygiene behaviors.

Fulltext View|Download
Keywords: Genital hygiene behavior; social media; environmental sanitation; stress; husband’s education; husband's support

Article Metrics:

  1. Adibelli, D., Kilinç, N. Ö., Akpak, Y. K., & Kiliç. D. (2014). Genital hygiene behaviors and associated factors in women living in rural areas of Turkey. El Mednifico Journal, 2(3), 210-214. https://doi.org/10.18035/emj.v2i3.163
  2. Alemu, A. K., Hailemariam, Z., Kumie, A., & Tefera, A. W. (2012). Hygiene and environmental health, part 1. The Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and the Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs). https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/pluginfile.php-/71966/mod_-resour-ce/content/2/Hyg_Env_Part_1.lo.pdf
  3. Amabebe, E., & Anumba, A. O. C. (2018). Psychosocial stress, cortisol levels, and maintenance of vaginal health. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 9(568). https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2018.00568
  4. American Psychological Association. (2015). How does stress influence behavior? https://www.apa.org/pubs/highlights/peeps/issue-40#:~:text=Stress%20can%20contribute%20to%20health,that%20can%20influence%20brain%20functioning
  5. Anand, E., Singh, J., & Unisa, S. (2015). Menstrual hygiene practices and its association with reproductive tract infections and abnormal vaginal discharge among women in India. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 6, 249–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2015.06.001
  6. Attieh, E., Maalouf, S., Roumieh, D., Abdayem, P., AbiTayeh, G., & Kesrouani, A. (2016). Feminine hygiene practices among female patients and nurses in Lebanon. Reproductive Health, 13(1), 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-016-0182-4
  7. Beutel, T. F., Zwerenz, R., & Michal, M. (2018). Psychosocial stress impairs health behavior in patients with mental disorders. BMC Psychiatry, 18, 375. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1956-8
  8. Bulut, A. (2020). Genital hygiene behaviors of midwives and nurses working in primary healthcare services and the associated factors. ACU Sağlık Bil Derg, 11(1), 72-77
  9. Calik, Y. K., Erkaya, R., Ince, G., & Yildiz, N. K. (2020). Genital hygiene behaviors of women and their effect on vaginal infections. Clinical and Experimental Health Sciences, 10(3), 210-216
  10. Çankaya, S., & Yilmaz, S. (2015). Factors associated with genital hygiene behaviours in pregnant and non-pregnant women in Turkey. International Journal of Human Sciences, 12(1), 920-932. https://doi.org/10.14687/ijhs.v12i1.3126
  11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Bacterial vaginosis (BV) statistics https://www.cdc.gov/std/bv/stats.htm
  12. Chen, Y., Bruning, E., Rubino, J., & Eder, S. E. (2017). Role of female intimate hygiene in vulvovaginal health: Global hygiene practices and product usage. Women’s Health, 13, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745505717731011
  13. Cohen, S. (1994). Perceived stress scale. Mind Garden, Inc. www.mindgarden.com
  14. Hailemariam, Z., Kumie, A., & Tefera, A. W. (2012). Hygiene and environmental health, part 2. The Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and the Regional Health Bureaus (RHBs). https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/-pluginfile.php/-71967/mod_-resou-r-ce/content/2/Hyg_Env_Part_2.lo.pdf
  15. Hamed, A. G. (2015). The impact of genital hygiene practices on the occurrence of vaginal infection and the development of a nursing fact sheet as prevention massage for vulnerable women. IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science, 4(6), 55-64. https://doi.org/0.9790/1959-04655564
  16. Jang, J., Hessel, H., Dworkin, J., (2017). Parent ICT use, social capital, and parenting efficacy. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 395–401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.025
  17. Karadeniz, H., Öztürk, R., & Ertem, G. (2019) Analysis of genital hygiene behaviors of women who applied to women’s illnesses and birth policlinic. Erciyes Medical Journal, 41(4), 402–408. https://doi.org/10.14744/etd.2019.37132
  18. Karahan, N. (2017). Development of a genital hygiene behavior scale: Validity and reliability study. İstanbul Medical Journal, 18, 157-162. https://doi.org/10.5152/imj.2017.82957
  19. Larasati, A. (2012). Kepuasan perkawinan pada istri ditinjau dari keterlibatan suami dalam menghadapi tuntutan ekonomi dan pembagian peran dalam rumah tangga [Marriage satisfaction in wives in terms of husband’s involvement in facing economic demands and division of roles in the household]. Jurnal Psikologi Pendidikan dan Perkembangan, 1(3), 1-6
  20. Leonita, E., & Jalinus, N. (2018). The role of social media in health promotion efforts: A literature review. INVOTEK Jurnal Inovasi Vokasional dan Teknologi. 18(2), 25-34
  21. Lufiati, D. E., Wijayanti, A. C., & Nugroho, F. S. (2015). Faktor-faktor yang berhubungan dengan perilaku personal hygiene organ genitalia pada pelajar putri di SMK N 7 Surakarta [Factors related to personal hygiene behavior of genital organs in female students at SMKN 7 Surakarta] [Thesis, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta]. http://eprints.ums.ac.id/38624/
  22. Maje, L. (2019). Association of vaginal practice to bacterial vaginosis among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa: A risk for HIV acquisition [Dissertation, Simon Fraser University]. https://ir.lib.sfu.ca/item/19823
  23. Mubarak, W. I. (2012).Ilmu kesehatan masyarakat [Public health science]. Salemba Medika
  24. Murthy, L., Fernandes, M., Gawade, V., Chanam, U., Chandra, V., Ramavat, K., Tandon, S., Zacharia, V., Mishra, V., & Patkar, A. (2013). WASH and health for menstrual hygiene management: Training of trainers manual. The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and the Government of India (GOI). https://www.wsscc.org/sites/default/files/migrated/2016/07/Training-of-Trainers-Manual-WASH-and-Health-for-Menstrual-Hygiene-Management.pdf
  25. Murti, H., & Lutfiyati, A. (2017). Hubungan perilaku menjaga kebersihan genetalia dengan kejadian keputihan pada siswi SMA N 1 Galur [The relationship between genital hygiene behavior and leucorrhoea among female students in SMA N 1 Galur] [Thesis, STIKES Jenderal Achmad Yani Yogyakarta]. http://repository.unjaya.ac.id/2465/1/ HATI%20MURTI%20%282213010%29nonfull.pdf
  26. Musyriqoh, S. (2016). Hubungan dukungan suami dengan perilaku pencegahan terhadap kanker serviks pada wanita dewasa awal di Desa Balung Lor Kecamatan Balung Kabupaten Jember [The relationship between husband support and cervical cancer prevention behavior among women in Balung Lor village, Balung district, Jember district] [Thesis, Universitas Jember]. http://repository.unej.ac.id/handle/123456789/78503
  27. National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN). (2018). Indonesia demographic and health survey 2017. Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), USAID. https://e-koren.bkkbn.go.id/wp-content¬/uploads¬/2018¬/10¬/¬Laporan-SDKI-2017-WUS.pdf
  28. Özyazıcıoğlu, N., Ünsal, A., & Sezgin, S. (2011). The effects of toilet and genital hygiene education on high school students’ behavior. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 4(3), 120-125
  29. Park, C. L, & Iacocca, M. O. (2014). A stress and coping perspective on health behaviors: Theoretical and methodological considerations. Anxiety Stress Coping, 27(2), 123-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2013.860969
  30. Pete, P. M. N., Biguioh, R. M., Izacar, A. G. B., Adogaye, S. B. B., Nguemo, C. (2019). Genital hygiene behaviors, and practices: A cross-sectional descriptive study among antenatal care attendees. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 10(1), 746. https://doi.org/10.4081/jphia.2019.746
  31. Rahmah, H., Afiyanti, Y., Rachmawati, I. N., Ungsianik, T., Budiati, T., & Wiwit. (2020). Sexuality concerns: A thematic analysis of indonesian nurses’ experiences in discussing sexuality with patients. Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia, 23(1), 23–30. https://doi.org/10.7454/jki.v23i1.1173
  32. Sari, H. E, Mudigdo, A., & Dermatoto, A. (2016). Multilevel analysis on the social determinants of cervical cancer in Yogyakarta. Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, 1(2), 100-107. https://doi.org/10.26911/jepublichealth.2016.01.02.03
  33. Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G., & Siegel, S. D. (2005). Stress and health: Psychological, behavioral, and biological determinants. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 607–628. https://doi.org/10.1146/¬annurev.clinpsy.¬1.102803.¬144¬14¬1
  34. Sevil, S., Kevser, O., Aleattin, U., Dilek, A., & Tijen, N. (2013). An evaluation of the relationship between genital hygiene practices, genital infection. Gynecology & Obstetrics, 3(6), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0932.1000187
  35. Shah, S. K, Shrestha, S., Maharjan, P. L., Karki, K., Upadhayay, A., Subedi, S., & Milan, G. (2019). Knowledge and practice of genital health and hygiene among adolescent girls of Lalitpur metropolitan city, Nepal. American Journal of Public Health Research, 7(4), 151-156. https://doi.org/10.12691/ajphr-7-4-4
  36. Song, H., Saito, E., Sawada, N., Abe, S. K., Hidaka, A., Shimazu, T., Yamaji, T., Goto, A., Iwasaki, M., Sasazuk, S., Ye, W., Inoue, M., & Tsugane, S. (2017). Perceived stress level and risk of cancer incidence in a Japanese population: The Japan Public Health Center (JPHC)-based prospective study. Scientific Reports, 7, 12964. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-13362-8
  37. Torondel, B., Sinha, S., Mohanty, J. R., Swain, T., Sahoo, P., Panda, B., Nayak, A., Bara, M., Bilung, B., Cumming, O., Panigrahi, P., & Das, P. (2018). Association between unhygienic menstrual management practices and prevalence of lower reproductive tract infections: A hospital-based cross-sectional study in Odisha, India. BMC Infectious Diseases, 18(1), 473. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-018-3384-2
  38. Tsigos, C., Kyrou, I., Kassi, E., & Chrousos, G. P. (2000). Stress: Endocrine physiology and pathophysiology. Endotext. MDText.com, Inc. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25905226
  39. Umami, A., Rahardjo, S. S., & Murti, B. (2018). Path analysis on the biopsychosocial determinants and genital hygiene on cervical cancer at Dr. Moewardi Hospital, Surakarta, Central Java. Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, 3(2), 277-291. https://doi.org/10.26911/jepublichealth.2018.03.02.07
  40. World Health Organization. (2015). Progress report of the implementation of the global strategy for prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections: 2006–2015. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/183117/1/9789241508841_eng.pdf
  41. World Health Organization. (2016). Global health sector strategy on sexually transmitted infections 2016–2021. http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/rtis/ghss-stis/en/
  42. Yasya, W., Muljono, P., Seminar, K. B., & Hardinsyah. (2019). Effects of facebook social media use and online social support on breastfeeding behavior. Jurnal Studi Komunikasi dan Media. 23(1), 71–86
  43. Yusuf, D. F.., & Budiono, I. (2016). Factors related to the practice of menstrual hygiene genitalia in mentally retarded junior high school students. Journal of Health Education, 1(1), 56-61

Last update:

  1. Women’s Knowledge of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Telafer City, Iraq

    Mohmmed Qassim Baktash, Abdul-Aziz Ahmed Aziz. Nurse Media Journal of Nursing, 13 (1), 2023. doi: 10.14710/nmjn.v13i1.48924
  2. Contextual Factors, Health History, and Daily Living Activities for Ovarian Cancer Risks: A Case-Control Study in Indonesia

    Restuning Widiasih, Windy Natasha, Tosin Popoola, Katherine Nelson. Nurse Media Journal of Nursing, 13 (2), 2023. doi: 10.14710/nmjn.v13i2.53640
  3. The relationship between genital hygiene behaviors and genital infections among women: A systematic review

    Afriza Umami, Edit Paulik, Regina Molnár, Bhisma Murti. Jurnal Ners, 17 (1), 2022. doi: 10.20473/jn.v17i1.34402
  4. Relationship between Demographic Factors, Knowledge, and Injection Contraceptive Acceptors’ Visit Compliance

    Muhammad Anas, Khofifah Dwi Oktaviana, Era Catur Prasetya, Afriza Umami. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 10 (B), 2022. doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2022.9531

Last update: 2024-11-20 12:42:35

No citation recorded.