Cultural Perceptions and Urinary Tract Infection Among Adolescent Schoolgirls in Dhamar City, Yemen

Abstract

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is very common among females in all age groups. Many factors like low water intake, infrequent voiding, and poor menstrual hygiene have been implicated. Aim: This study was aimed to evaluate prevalence of UTI among adolescent girls in governmental schools in Dhamar city, Yemen and its relation to cultural perceptions about school toilets, in hope to change these thoughts and improve hygienic services in those schools. Methods: A total of 261 adolescent (13 – 20 years) students in governmental schools of Dhamar city were included in the study. A questionnaire to obtain demographic, socioeconomic profile, clinical manifestation, practice was used. Investigation included general urinalysis for midstream clean catch urine sample. Results: The overall prevalence of UTI was 29.1%. More than two third (68.2%) of girls noted to avoid entrance to school bathrooms. Parents warning against entrance to school bathrooms noted in 34.5%. Fear from the presence of camera in bathrooms noted in 33.7%. Girls who retain urine for long time was 29.9%. Wrong practice of wiping was noted in 13.4% as they wipe from back to front. The most common symptom was urgency, which was in 39.1%. Lower abdominal, back pain, recurrent fever, incontinence, bad urine odor, cloudy urine, and dysuria were reported. Conclusion: Urinary tract infection is a common problem in adolescent school girls which result in many complications and may lead to loss of school. Inadequate hydration, lack of clean toilet, poor personal hygiene, wrong believe of girls and their parents about school toilets, all of them predispose a school girl to urinary tract infection.