Examining the relation of self-care agency with genital hygiene behaviors and contraction of sexually-transmitted diseases in women at reproductive age

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the relation of self-care agency with genital hygiene behaviors and contraction of sexually-transmitted diseases in women at reproductive age. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study examining cause and effect relationships. Data were gathered with a descriptive characteristics form, the Self-Care Agency Scale and the Genital Hygiene Behavior Scale in obstetrics and gynecology outpatient clinics of two state hospitals between 1 February 2023 and 10 January 2024. Conviencing sampling was adopted and the study was completed with 275 women. Descriptive analyses were made with percentages, mean values and standard deviation. Pearson correlation analysis was utilized to examine the relation between the mean score on the Self-Care Agency Scale and the mean score on the Genital Hygiene Behavior Scale. Simple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine whether self-care agency was predictive of genital hygiene behaviors. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether self-care agency was predictive of receiving the diagnosis of sexually-transmitted diseases. Results: There was a significant, strong, positive relation between self-care agency and genital hygiene behaviors. Self-care agency explained 0.72% of the variation in genital hygiene behaviors (R2: 0.715) and increased genital hygiene behaviors by 0.846% times (β=-0.846). Self-care agency was also responsible for 56% of the variation in receiving the diagnosis of sexually-transmitted diseases (R2: 0,558). The risk of contracting sexually-transmitted diseases was 0,934 times higher in the women with low self-care agency (OR: 0,934). Conclusion: The findings showed that self-care agency of the women at reproductive age was related to their genital hygiene behaviors and receiving the diagnosis of sexually-transmitted diseases. Education programs that can improve self-care agency should be designed for the women. Key Words: Sexually-transmitted diseases; Hygiene; Female genitals; Self-care; Reproductive age; Correlational study