Digital Menstrual Health Education for Adolescent Girls with Intellectual Disabilities: Evidence from the KESMENS Digital Media Intervention

Abstract

Adolescent female with intellectual disabilities often encounter substantial barriers in managing menstrual hygiene, which may negatively impact their physical health, social integration, and personal autonomy. These challenges are largely attributed to the absence of concrete and developmentally appropriate educational tools, along with limited support from families and educators during menstruation. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the KESMENS Digital Book, a family assisted multimedia learning resource, in improving menstrual hygiene management skills among adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Using a Single Subject Research method with an A B design, the intervention was implemented for a junior high school student at SLBN Cileunyi, Bandung. The KESMENS media contains visual and video-based content tailored to the participant’s cognitive development level. Results indicated notable improvements in all targeted skills: identifying hygiene tools (47%), opening sanitary pads (100%), wearing pads (67%), removing pads (100%), cleaning used pads (80%), and maintaining genital hygiene (50%). These findings suggest that family supported digital interventions such as KESMENS can significantly enhance menstrual self-care abilities in adolescents with intellectual disabilities. The study highlights the importance of inclusive and accessible digital media in advancing reproductive health education and promoting independence within special education settings.