Emerging issues and barriers in access to menstrual hygiene management in a tribal district of India

Abstract

Background: Access to Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) remains a critical challenge to Indian women especially in remote areas. The problem of poor availability, acceptance, and affordability of MHM products is further aggravated by negative social construct and environmental concerns. Poor menstrual hygiene is linked to significant morbidity and mortality due to reproductive tract infections (RTIs) and cervical cancer etc.Methods: A campaign “Chuppi Todo” was organized in Udaipur; a tribal district in Rajasthan aiming for menstrual health education of adolescent girls and mothers across public schools through interactive means. During the campaign interviews were conducted by trained field staff with participating girls to elicit perspectives related to menstrual hygiene and feedback of the education sessions.Results: Based on qualitative assesments it was observed that women largely ignore menstrual hygiene or follow old traditional practices. They don’t prefer using modern MHM products like sanitary pads etc owing to the difficulty in their disposal and embarrassment.Conclusions: The present study highlights existing knowledge gaps and barriers in providing universal access to MHM to adolescent girls and women living in remote areas in India.

Prevalence of self-reported reproductive tract infections/sexually transmitted infections symptoms and treatment seeking behavior among the married tribal women in Udaipur, Rajasthan

“…Studies show that national level health programs require an ideological change in their structure for the benefit of the tribal community, and should include health education for better awareness among tribal women. 13,16 The findings in our study contribute to the fact that reproductive health status of women is influenced by demography, socioeconomic factors, cultural factors, education and knowledge factors etc. It is very important to focus on these determinants of health, in order to strengthen programmes by the government to improve reproductive health state of marginalised population like tribal women.…”

Menstrual Hygiene Practices in Indian Tribal Females: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…The use of sanitary pads varies significantly in different tribal communities in India; most females prefer reusable old clothes due to cost factors, availability, and ease of disposal [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Contrary to our findings, tribal females residing outside India had a higher pooled prevalence of sanitary pad usage [36].…”

“…In our meta-analysis, there are few studies that report proper disposal of menstrual material after use. The used material was largely thrown indiscriminately, in village ponds, anywhere into a latrine, field, jungle, canal, or bin; flushed down a toilet, buried, wrapped in a newspaper, plastic, or paper; or left on the toilet floor [ 18 , 20 , 24 ]. A few other studies also reported the disposal of MHM in backyard waste for burning [ 34 ].…”

Behavior model of community-based sanitation management in coastal areas: confirmatory factor analysis

“…It is a set of guidelines whose operational uses are humans adapting to and dealing with specific environments [ 37 ]. The sanitation development problem is a socio-cultural challenge [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. The cause is the community behavior accustomed to defecating in any place and throwing garbage into the river [ 42 ].…”