Informação das acadêmicas de enfermagem quanto a menarca e importância do tema na sua formação acadêmica

Abstract

Adolescents have been studied more frequently due to the signs of precocious puberty. Considering the sexual maturity issues, especially the challenges of menarche in girls, knowing the feelings and doubts that occur in this process allows the creation of strategies to improve the health care quality provided to this public. Objective: to identify among the nursing students the understanding about menarche in adolescence, emphasizing the knowledge acquired after joining the University. Methods: This is a descriptive study with a quantitative approach, carried out with nursing students from the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) - Campus Sinop. The inclusion criteria were: to be regularly enrolled in the 2018/1 semester of Nursing Course; be female and be 18 years or older. To collect data, a self-administered questionnaire was used, covering questions related to the age, the age of menarche and sexual development, information acquired during the University period about to adolescents' growth and development. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics. The study was carried out after approval of the Research Ethics Committee of UFMT - Campus Sinop, under No. 2.598.698. Results: 34.84% of the students enrolled in the Nursing Course answered the questionnaire. They had a mean age of 25.13 years, and the mean age of menarche was 12.87 years. The insecurity was the most prevalent reaction when asked how they handled the time of menarche. In the moment of menarche, 63.16% already had information about and the motherly figure was the main responsible for it. All the students considered important to have menarche and puberty information and also affirmed that sex education is an efficient health strategy to approach the issue. When questioned about the curriculum grade, 52.53% stated that it is adequate to develop actions aimed at adolescents. Conclusion: the study emphasizes that the University has fundamental importance in the acquisition of knowledge about the subject.