This article draws on grounded theory and ethnographic fieldwork approaches and applies a political ecology of adolescent health (PEAH) framework to examine how school-going adolescent girls and their communities perceive sexual and reproductive health education (SRHE) and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in the region. Three young girls were purposefully selected from each of 10 government-run mixed primary schools in Juba, South Sudan, as peer research evaluators (PREs) and key informants (N = 30). Each PRE interviewed and reported on three of their peers about how they talk about and manage menstruation. The findings show that political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors do influence adolescent girls’ and their communities’ perceptions about puberty and menstruation. In general, MHM was culturally constructed, but the results show a disproportionate emphasis on social norms rather than on SRHE, which could have long-lasting health implications for adolescent girls. There is a need for all stakeholders in education to come together to better grasp and address the obstacles young girls face in their communities and school environments. There is also a need to develop relevant training materials to assist care providers and adolescent girls to openly talk about and address sexual and reproductive health issues.

本文借鉴扎根理论和民族志田野调查方法，并应用青少年健康政治生态学 (PEAH) 框架来研究学龄少女及其社区如何看待性与生殖健康教育 (SRHE) 和月经卫生管理 (MHM)该区域。从南苏丹朱巴的 10 所公立混合小学中，有目的地挑选了三名年轻女孩作为同行研究评估员 (PRE) 和关键信息提供者 ( N= 30）。每个 PRE 采访并报告了他们的三位同龄人关于他们如何谈论和管理月经。研究结果表明，政治、社会经济和文化因素确实会影响少女及其社区对青春期和月经的看法。总的来说，MHM 是由文化构建的，但结果显示，人们不成比例地强调社会规范而不是 SRHE，后者可能对青春期女孩产生长期的健康影响。教育领域的所有利益相关者需要齐心协力，更好地把握和解决年轻女孩在其社区和学校环境中面临的障碍。还需要制定相关的培训材料，以帮助护理人员和少女公开谈论和解决性健康和生殖健康问题。