The effects of being in prison on womens genital hygiene practical

The study was conducted analytically to investigate the effect of detention on female genital hygiene practices and was carried out between 05.10.2007-02.02.2008 on 50 female prisoners in E-Type Closed ? Open Detention Execution Facility in Bursa and 50 women residing in the quarter where the Center for Maternal and Infant Health-Family Planning Center, number 2 and Hürriyet Public Health Center in Bursa are located. The data were collected through the questionnaire prepared by the researcher as well as face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics, t-test and chi-square test were used to evaluate the data.It was determined that the mean age of female prisoners was 31,80 9,53, while the mean age of non-detained women was 31,88 9,44 years; 50,0% of all women were married; 80,0% of them lived in nuclear families; 34,0% were primary school graduates; and 52,0% had middle income.The study revealed that both the detained and non-detained women regularly observed their genital areas for any disease in a statistically similar manner (50,0% and 54,0%, respectively) and received information on genital hygiene (52,0% and 60,0%, respectively); a majority of them used white (56,0% and 60,0%, respectively) and cotton (72,0% and 86,0%, respectively) underclothes; and few of them (24,0%) cleaned their genital areas correctly.The study also revealed that detained women were more informed about the characteristics of normal vaginal discharge when compared to non-detained women (28,0% and 10,0%, respectively); that they had had abnormal vaginal discharge within the last month (58,0% and 30,0%, respectively); that they handwashed their underclothes (90,0% and 6,0%, respectively); that they incorrectly wiped their genital areas (84,4% and 60,9%, respectively); and that their frequency of showering during their menstrual period was insufficient (78,5% and 83,0%, respectively).In the light of the results of the study, it could be suggested that women should be offered training and counseling services by the health personnel of detention houses with midwives and nurses employed in primary healthcare so as to improve the genital hygiene practices among detained women and researchers could repeat the study with different sample groups.Keywords: Midwifery and nursing approaches, genital infection, genital hygiene, women?s health, detainment.