Reusable sanitary towels: promoting menstrual hygiene in post-earthquake Nepal

Budhathoki, Shyam Sundar; Bhattachan, Meika; Pokharel, Paras Kumar; Bhadra, Madhurima; Teijlingen, Edwin van

doi:10.1136/jfprhc-2016-101481

Cited by 20 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…A document provided by the United Nations Population Fund 29 was found succinctly to outline culturally appropriate MH items for distribution in the Myanmar context, as well as considerations for method of distribution and hygiene-promotion activities. Budhathoki et al 21 suggested using a local menstrual kit in Nepal that contained four pieces of cotton cloth, two undergarments, and one bar of soap sealed in a biodegradable bag.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives

VanLeeuwen

Torondel

2018

IJWH

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Management of menstruation in contexts of humanitarian emergencies can be challenging. A lack of empirical research about effective interventions which improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among female populations in humanitarian emergencies and a lack of clarity about which sectors within a humanitarian response should deliver MHM interventions can both be attributable to the lack of clear guidance on design and delivery of culturally appropriate MHM intervention in settings of humanitarian emergencies. The objective of this review was to collate, summarize, and appraise existing peer-reviewed and gray literature that describes the current scenario of MHM in emergency contexts in order to describe the breadth and depth of current policies, guidelines, empirical research, and humanitarian aid activities addressing populations’ menstrual needs. A structured-search strategy was conducted for peer-reviewed and gray literature to identify studies, published reports, guidelines, and policy papers related to menstrual response in emergency humanitarian contexts. Of the 51 articles included in the review, 16 were peer-reviewed papers and 35 were gray literature. Most of the literature agreed that hardware interventions should focus on the supply of adequate material (not only absorbent material but also other supportive material) and adequate sanitation facilities, with access to water and private space for washing, changing, drying, and disposing menstrual materials. Software interventions should focus on education in the usage of materials to manage menstruation hygienically and education about the female body’s biological processes. There was clear agreement that the needs of the target population should be assessed before designing any intervention. Although there is insight about which factors should be included in an effective menstrual hygiene intervention, there is insufficient empirical evidence to establish which interventions are most effective in humanitarian emergencies and which sectors should be responsible for the coordination and implementation of such. Increased monitoring and evaluation studies of interventions should be completed and publicly shared, in order to feed evidence-based guidelines in the humanitarian sector.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives

VanLeeuwen

Torondel

2018

IJWH

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“…Immediate measures during disasters are considered possible using locally available cloth as adsorbents [ 13 ]. The efforts need to emphasize the need for private spaces for women focusing on menstrual hygiene management apart from the toilets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On 25 th April 2015, Nepal was affected by a 7.8 Richter scale magnitude earthquake killing almost 9000 people and displaced 3.5 million people [ 25 ]. Compared to men, more women survived [ 26 ] and although emergency relief and rescue operations swiftly began addressing essential humanitarian needs, there seemed to be a lack of attention to menstrual hygiene needs of adolescent girls and women [ 13 , 27 ]. Although increasingly considered, menstrual hygiene continues to be overlooked during disasters, even in community level responses [ 22 , 28 , 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Menstrual hygiene is a need of menstruating women & girls. Although, there are some studies on menstrual hygiene management in Nepal, there is limited evidence on menstrual hygiene management especially in the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal [ 12 , 13 , 21 , 31 ]. Therefore, we conducted this study to explore the perceptions and the lived experience of women and young girls regarding menstrual hygiene management in the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Menstrual hygiene management among women and adolescent girls in the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal

et al. 2018

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BackgroundMenstrual hygiene management (MHM) is an essential aspect of hygiene for women and adolescent girls between menarche and menopause. Despite being an important issue concerning women and girls in the menstruating age group MHM is often overlooked in post-disaster responses. Further, there is limited evidence of menstrual hygiene management in humanitarian settings. This study aims to describe the experiences and perceptions of women and adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene management in post-earthquake Nepal.MethodsA mixed methods study was carried out among the earthquake affected women and adolescent girls in three villages of Sindhupalchowk district of Nepal. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire that captured experiences and perceptions of respondents on menstrual hygiene management in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake. Quantitative data were triangulated with in-depth interview regarding respondent’s personal experiences of menstrual hygiene management.ResultsMenstrual hygiene was rated as the sixth highest overall need and perceived as an immediate need by 18.8% of the respondents. There were 42.8% women & girls who menstruated within first week of the earthquake. Reusable sanitary cloth were used by about 66.7% of the respondents before the earthquake and remained a popular method (76.1%) post-earthquake. None of the respondents reported receiving menstrual adsorbents as relief materials in the first month following the earthquake. Disposable pads (77.8%) were preferred by respondents as they were perceived to be clean and convenient to use. Most respondents (73.5%) felt that reusable sanitary pads were a sustainable choice. Women who were in the age group of 15-34 years (OR = 3.14; CI = (1.07-9.20), did not go to school (OR = 9.68; CI = 2.16-43.33), married (OR = 2.99; CI = 1.22-7.31) and previously used reusable sanitary cloth (OR = 5.82; CI = 2.33-14.55) were more likely to use the reusable sanitary cloth.ConclusionsIn the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, women and girls completely depended on the use of locally available resources as adsorbents during menstruation. Immediate relief activities by humanitarian agencies, lacked MHM activities. Understanding the previous practice and using local resources, the reusable sanitary cloth is a way to address the menstrual hygiene needs in the post-disaster situations in Nepal.

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“…An article in this issue of the journal highlights one easily forgotten hardship among many faced by women in this situation. Budhathoki and coworkers describe the difficulties surrounding menstrual hygiene in post-earthquake Nepal, where women used and reused clothes as sanitary towels – a practice that was considered culturally acceptable and feasible in crisis situations 1. The authors argue that menstrual hygiene received a low priority due to the overwhelming need of water, food and shelter in such crisis situations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Women's health is not in focus in disaster zones: lessons from the Nepal earthquake

Thapa

Acharya

2016

J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care

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Reusable sanitary towels: promoting menstrual hygiene in post-earthquake Nepal

Cited by 20 publications

References 9 publications

Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives

Improving menstrual hygiene management in emergency contexts: literature review of current perspectives

Menstrual hygiene management among women and adolescent girls in the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal

Women's health is not in focus in disaster zones: lessons from the Nepal earthquake

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