Media exposure and knowledge of the ovulation cycle among adolescent girls who experienced menarche in Ghana: Evidence from the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey

Knowledge of the ovulation cycle among adolescent girls who have experienced menarche plays a major role in overcoming misconceptions about the fertile window within their cycles, which limits their ability to make informed decisions about sexual activity and contraceptive use. Mass media have become a powerful tool for health promotion and information sharing, especially among young populations. Despite the widespread use of mass media for health promotion, reproductive health knowledge among adolescent girls remains understudied. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the association between media exposure and knowledge of the ovulation cycle among adolescent girls who experienced menarche in Ghana. Data were extracted from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). The data resulted in a weighted sample of 2,609 adolescent girls (mean age = 16.9 years and standard deviation ± 1.42). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the study findings. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the predictors of knowledge of the ovulation cycle among adolescent girls. All associations were considered statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.

The level of good knowledge of the ovulation cycle was 27.1%. Adolescent girls who were married (aOR=2.17; CI:1.24-3.78), who were cohabiting (aOR=1.75; CI:1.01-3.04), who were more educated (aOR=3.90; CI: 1.18-12.86), who used modern contraceptive methods (aOR=1.60; CI: 1.06-2.41), who used traditional contraceptive methods (aOR=2.70; CI:1.54-4.73) and who intended to use contraceptives later (aOR=1.53; CI: 1.19-1.98) had significantly greater odds of having good knowledge of the ovulation cycle.

Knowledge of the ovulation cycle among adolescent girls who experienced menarche in Ghana is relatively limited, which may contribute to unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions. Future media should be thoughtfully designed for young audiences and integrated into broader reproductive health initiatives, particularly for adolescent girls with low levels of education, who are formally married, and those who do not know any contraceptive methods.