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Impact of Intimate Hygiene Product Education on Safe Intimate-Care Practices among Young Women in Nigeria

Abstract

Intimate hygiene products are widely marketed and used by young women for purposes such as cleansing, odour control, menstrual care, moisture management, and perceived protection against genital infections. These products may include intimate washes, scented wipes, sprays, powders, deodorants, antiseptic preparations, and other products marketed for genital or intimate care. Although some products may be used appropriately, unnecessary or inappropriate use of fragranced, irritating, or internally applied products may contribute to skin irritation, disruption of the normal genital environment, allergic reactions, or delayed healthcare-seeking for underlying reproductive-health conditions. Young women in Nigeria may be influenced by advertising, social media, peer recommendations, cultural expectations, and misconceptions regarding intimate cleanliness. Intimate hygiene product education provides an opportunity to improve young women's understanding of appropriate product selection and use, identify potentially harmful practices, and promote safer intimate-care behaviours. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of intimate hygiene product education on safe intimate-care practices among young women in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Health Literacy Theory, and Social Cognitive Theory. The Health Belief Model explains how young women's perceptions of susceptibility to intimate-health problems, perceived severity, perceived benefits of safe intimate-care practices, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action may influence their use of intimate hygiene products. Health Literacy Theory emphasizes women's ability to obtain, understand, evaluate, and apply reliable health information when selecting and using intimate-care products. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes observational learning, peer influence, self-efficacy, behavioural modelling, reinforcement, and environmental influences in shaping intimate-care practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how intimate hygiene product education may influence safe intimate-care practices among young women in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise young women aged 18–35 years residing in selected urban, semi-urban, and rural communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, communities, households, and eligible young women. Intimate hygiene product education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to educational sessions, frequency and duration of education, knowledge of intimate-care products, appropriate external cleansing, product ingredients and fragrances, potential skin irritants, risks associated with unnecessary antiseptic products, scented wipes and sprays, powders and deodorants, internal application of products, product-label interpretation, expiration dates, appropriate product storage, recognition of irritation or allergic reactions, menstrual hygiene, distinction between normal genital odour and concerning symptoms, identification of misleading product claims, and awareness of when professional healthcare should be sought. Safe intimate-care practices will be assessed using indicators such as appropriate external cleansing, avoidance of unnecessary internal cleansing, avoidance of irritating or heavily fragranced products where inappropriate, appropriate interpretation of product labels, discontinuation of products that cause irritation, avoidance of unverified intimate-care remedies, appropriate menstrual hygiene, safe product storage and handling, avoidance of sharing personal intimate-care products, recognition of concerning symptoms, and timely consultation with qualified healthcare professionals when persistent or unusual symptoms occur. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, intimate-care knowledge assessment tools, product-use and practice scales, product-label interpretation scenarios, and pre-test and post-test assessments where a quasi-experimental intervention is adopted. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, intimate-care product use, sources of information, knowledge levels, and intimate-care practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired and independent t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of intimate hygiene product education on safe intimate-care practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, safe-practice scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that intimate hygiene product education has a significant positive impact on safe intimate-care practices among young women in Nigeria. Young women exposed to structured, evidence-based, and culturally appropriate education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of intimate hygiene products and safer intimate-care practices than women without comparable exposure. Education may improve women's ability to distinguish appropriate external cleansing from unnecessary internal cleansing, identify potentially irritating products, interpret product labels, recognize misleading marketing claims, and understand when a product should be discontinued because of irritation or discomfort. It may also reduce reliance on unverified intimate-care remedies and encourage women to seek professional assessment when persistent itching, irritation, unusual discharge, pain, or other concerning symptoms occur. Practical education on product selection and safe use may help women make informed decisions rather than relying primarily on advertising, peer recommendations, or social-media claims. However, commercial marketing, peer influence, cultural expectations, misinformation, concerns about intimate odour, limited reproductive-health education, embarrassment about discussing intimate health, and reliance on traditional or unverified products may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects accessible, non-judgmental, culturally sensitive, practical, and sustained intimate hygiene product education, supported by appropriate women's health services, to contribute significantly to improved safe intimate-care practices among young women in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on intimate hygiene, women's health, reproductive health, genital health, personal-care product use, health education, health literacy, consumer health, infection prevention, health promotion, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, state ministries of health, primary healthcare centres, hospitals, universities and youth-health programmes, healthcare professionals, gynaecologists, nurses, community health workers, women's health organizations, consumer-protection agencies, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving intimate-care practices among young women. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating intimate hygiene product education into women's and youth-health programmes, strengthening health literacy regarding personal-care products, improving awareness of potentially harmful intimate-care practices, promoting accurate interpretation of product information and marketing claims, strengthening reproductive-health counselling, and developing sustainable health-promotion programmes that support safe intimate-care practices among young women across Nigeria.

Keywords: Intimate hygiene product education, safe intimate-care practices, young women, intimate hygiene, women's health, reproductive health, genital health, personal-care products, health education, health literacy, consumer health, Nigeria, public health.