Citation

Kridli SAO, Ilori OM, Goeth J. Avicenna 2012; 2012(online): 1.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation)

DOI

10.5339/avi.2012.1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand health beliefs and practices of Qatari women by exploring puberty and sexual relations. A qualitative descriptive research design, using focus groups, was used in this study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit college-age Qatari women from six universities in Qatar. A total of 43 Qatari women participated in this study. NVivo 8 qualitative analysis software was used to analyze collected data. Participants reported that Qatari women lacked information about puberty and did not feel prepared for their first menstrual period (menarche). Participants also reported a lack of information about sexual relations due to their mothers’ and schools’ discomfort with the topic. Recommendations related to the investigated areas were elicited from the participants. There is a urgent need to conduct educational programs in Qatar.