Vaginal Douching Behavior among Young Adult Women and the Perceived Adverse Health Effects

Aim: Several health belief models suggest that health risk perception could enhance behavioral
modification to reduce lifestyle-related risks. Perceived health risks associated with vaginal douching
(VD), propensity to douche and effects on douching behaviors were assessed in a cross-sectional
survey of 1,463 female undergraduates, aged 18 to 35 years, randomly selected in a tertiary
institution between 2011 and 2012.
Methodology: A 3-section semi-structured socio-demographic questionnaire on female genital tract
hygiene practice was used for data collection. We conducted logistic regression analysis to test for
association between douching and perceived health risk.
Results: The overall prevalence of VD was 79.2%. Most douchers (79.8%) lacked knowledge of risks
associated with VD, 78.3% had misbeliefs about VD, 76.0% accepted the practice, 50.6% would have
stopped if they had known the associated risks and 56.4% expressed fear of genital tract infections if
they stopped douching. False beliefs and lack of knowledge about the health risks associated with VD
increased the odds of douching among douchers (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Low health risk perception and misconceptions about VD are the primary reasons for
douching. Therefore, providing health education on the associated health risks of VD to female
adolescents and young adult women may help to discourage VD among women in our societies.