Menstrual hygiene practice between rural and urban high school adolescent girls in Bangladesh

Sultana, Rumana; Shom, Ela Rani; Khatun, Fahima

doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20200871

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

(31 reference statements)

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“…The majority of these submissions were from rural schools. This is consistent with recent study findings from India and Bangladesh [ 8 , 49 , 50 , 51 ] that the majority of rural girls experienced menstrual discomforts such as cramps, backache, and particularly, lower abdomen pain. Almost 64% of girls reported missing school during menstruation due to cramps/bad physical feelings in a baseline survey before intervention in Netrokona District, Bangladesh [ 52 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

A Qualitative Content Analysis of Rural and Urban School Students’ Menstruation-Related Questions in Bangladesh

Mehjabeen

Hunter

Mahfuz

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Nearly half of Bangladeshi girls reach menarche without knowledge of menstruation and many fear seeking support due to pervasive menstrual stigma. We aimed to explore the types of menstruation-related information and support adolescent female and male students want but may be uncomfortable verbalising. We installed a locked box in four school classrooms in rural and urban Bangladesh as part of a menstrual hygiene management pilot intervention between August 2017 and April 2018. Trained teachers provided puberty education to female and male students in classes 5–10 (ages 10–17 years) and encouraged students to submit questions anonymously to the boxes if they did not want to ask aloud. We conducted a content analysis of the 374 menstruation-related questions from a total of 834 submissions. Questions regarded experiences of menstrual bleeding (35%); menstrual symptoms and management (32%); menstrual physiology (19%); behavioural prescriptions and proscriptions (6%); concerns over vaginal discharge (4%); and menstrual stigma, fear, and social support (4%). Students wanted to understand the underlying causes of various menstrual experiences, and concern over whether particular experiences are indicative of health problems was pervasive. Ensuring comprehensive school-based menstruation education and strengthening engagement among schools, parents, and healthcare providers is important for improving access to reliable menstrual health information and may relieve adolescents’ concerns over whether their menstrual experiences are ’normal’.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

A Qualitative Content Analysis of Rural and Urban School Students’ Menstruation-Related Questions in Bangladesh

Mehjabeen

Hunter

Mahfuz

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…Advertisements for disposable sanitary pads have typically promoted these by contrasting them with the use of re-useable cloths (sometimes referred to as 'rags') as inherently unhygienic. Some academic articles on MH in Bangladesh take a similar position in asserting that the use of cloths is unhygienic (Mondal et al, 2017;Zakaria et al, 2020;Sultana et al, 2020;Asha et al, 2019). Despite this, MH practitioners interviewed, and several recent studies (Alam et al, 2018;Alam et al, 2017) describe the use of cloths to absorb menstrual blood as widespread in Bangladesh.…”

Section: Focus Of Menstrual Health Programmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“The door has opened”: moving forward with menstrual health programming in Bangladesh

Warrington

Coultas

Das³

et al. 2021

IJHRH

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Purpose In Bangladesh, as elsewhere, menstruation is surrounded by stigma, silence, and shame. Despite being a critical part of women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), it remains significantly under-researched and addressed. However, the focus on menstrual health (MH) programming is growing globally, with increased awareness of the importance of holistic and rights-based approaches. This case study aims to examine and reflect upon the MH landscape and programming in Bangladesh, assessing the progress, challenges, and potential ways forward. Design/methodology/approach This case study is based on a non-systematic review of recent global and national literature, eight semi-structured interviews, a review of national television adverts and the authors’ experiences of MH research and programming in Bangladesh. Findings Hygiene-based education delivered through schools is a common entry point for MH programming in Bangladesh, with limited activities conducted in communities (including with men and boys) and through media. The focus of MH programming has tended to be narrow, with insufficient recognition of the wider gender equality and health implications of menstruation. There are growing efforts to coordinate MH work by different agencies and to collectively advocate for increased government engagement. While significant progress has been made, this case study identifies several gaps and tensions that reflect the complexity of addressing MH. Originality/value This case study presents an overview of recent MH experiences and programming in Bangladesh. It recognises the different sectors, sites and stakeholders involved, and includes experiences and perspectives of practitioners, academics, and programme participants.

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“…Thakre et al (2012) also reveal that menstrual knowledge and perceptions are not the same between rural and urban schoolgirls. Prior studies suggest that poor menstrual hygiene management practices are higher in rural areas than in urban areas (Davis et al , 2018; Gultie, 2014; Sultana et al , 2020). The remote location, social setting and reduced access to modern ICT and media in the rural area may result in schoolgirls’ poor knowledge and perceptions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menstrual knowledge and perceptions of schoolgirls in Bangladesh: do socio-economic factors really matter?

Parvin

Takashino

Islam³

et al. 2021

IJHRH

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Purpose This study aims to explore whether socio-economic factors determine the level of menstrual knowledge and perceptions of schoolgirls in Bangladesh. The aim of this study is to understand how knowledge and perceptions vary with variations in the different socio-economic factors in a schoolgirl’s life such as place of residence, religion, age, grade, parents’ education, parents’ occupation, family income and even family size. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from four schools (two in urban areas and two in rural areas). A total of 450 schoolgirls from grades V–X were interviewed to examine how knowledge and perceptions varied with different socio-economic aspects. Multiple logistic regression models were used to measure the associations between various socio-economic variables and perceptions of and knowledge about menstruation. Findings Respondents from urban areas were 4.75 times more likely and those 14–16 years old were two times more likely to report higher levels of knowledge about menstruation compared to their counterparts. Based on the father’s occupation, respondents whose father was engaged in a professional occupation were 1.983 times more likely to have a higher level of knowledge on menstruation compared to those whose fathers were in an unskilled profession. Similarly, the odds of positive perceptions on menstruation were 1.456 and 1.987 times higher, respectively, among respondents living in urban areas and those 14–16 years old, compared to their counterparts. Originality/value This study provides evidence that different socio-economic and even demographic factors are important in the development of menstrual knowledge and perceptions. Policy formulation and development actions related to adolescent girls’ physical and reproductive health development need to consider these factors in Bangladesh and in other developing countries, where poor knowledge and perception related to menstruation are hindering girls’ mental and physical development. This is expected that better knowledge and perception will facilitate girls’ right to have better health and social lives.

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Menstrual hygiene practice between rural and urban high school adolescent girls in Bangladesh

Cited by 6 publications

References 10 publications

A Qualitative Content Analysis of Rural and Urban School Students’ Menstruation-Related Questions in Bangladesh

A Qualitative Content Analysis of Rural and Urban School Students’ Menstruation-Related Questions in Bangladesh

“The door has opened”: moving forward with menstrual health programming in Bangladesh

Menstrual knowledge and perceptions of schoolgirls in Bangladesh: do socio-economic factors really matter?

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