Self-reported urinary tract infection and bacterial vaginosis symptoms among indigenous adolescents during seasonal periods of water scarcity: A cross-sectional study in Bandarban Hill District of Bangladesh

Plabon Sarkar; M A Rifat; Imdadul Haque Talukdar; Nobonita Saha; Nicole S Rodriguez Neufeld; Md Ibrahim Miah; Sanjib Saha

doi:10.1002/hsr2.2107

Self-reported urinary tract infection and bacterial vaginosis symptoms among indigenous adolescents during seasonal periods of water scarcity: A cross-sectional study in Bandarban Hill District of Bangladesh

Health Sci Rep. 2024 May 6;7(5):e2107. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.2107. eCollection 2024 May.

Authors

Plabon Sarkar¹, M A Rifat², Imdadul Haque Talukdar³, Nobonita Saha⁴, Nicole S Rodriguez Neufeld², Md Ibrahim Miah⁵, Sanjib Saha⁶

Affiliations

¹ Caritas Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh.
² Department of Global Public Health Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden.
³ Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME) Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden.
⁴ Institute of Nutrition and Food Science University of Dhaka Dhaka Bangladesh.
⁵ Department of Microbiology University of Dhaka Dhaka Bangladesh.
⁶ Health Economics Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund University Lund Sweden.

Abstract

Background and aims: Water scarcity and poor water quality could lead to suboptimum menstrual hygiene practices, and subsequently urinary tract infection (UTI) and bacterial vaginosis (BV). In this study, we estimate the prevalence of self-reported UTI and BV among indigenous adolescent girls during the water scarcity period in the Bandarban Hill Districts in south-eastern Bangladesh.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 242 indigenous adolescent girls were selected and interviewed during the seasonal water scarcity period (from February to May 2022) in Bandarban. The difference in prevalence of any self-reported UTI or BV symptoms by respondents' characteristics was assessed by χ ² test. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to observe the associated factors.

Results: The prevalence of self-reported UTI, BV, and any symptoms of UTI or BV among the respondents were 35.54%, 28.93%, and 43.80%, respectively. Ethnicity, studentship status, source of water used for menstrual hygiene, and perceived water quality were significantly associated with the prevalence of any self-reported UTI or BV symptoms.

Conclusion: Findings recommend further research to cross-check the validity of self-reported prevalence and investigate if the episodes of UTI or BV could be attributable to water scarcity and poor water quality in study areas during dry period.

Keywords: Bandarban; Bangladesh; Chattogram Hill Tracts; adolescents; bacterial vaginosis; menstrual hygiene; urinary tract infection; water pollution; water scarcity.