Abstract
This paper aimed to explore various factors associated with the use of sanitary napkins among adolescent girls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The study uses information from the Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) project survey conducted in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in 2016. The study sample consisted of 14,625 adolescent girls aged 10-19 years. The study sample was selected using a multi-stage systematic sampling design. Multilevel logistic regression (MLR) was used to identify the individual and community level factors associated with the use of sanitary napkins. The results revealed a wide variation in sanitary napkins' use across the socio-economic and demographic factors. The use of sanitary napkins was significantly higher among girls with 8-9 (53.2%) and 10 and more (75.4%) years of schooling compared to those who had no formal education (26.4%). The use of sanitary napkins was higher among adolescent girls who were not engaged in paid work (54.7%) than those who did any paid job (40.8%). Adolescent girls reporting frequent exposure to mass media (OR = 2.10), belonging to the richest wealth quintile (OR = 3.76), and whose mothers had 10 or more years of education (OR = 2.29) had a higher propensity to use sanitary napkins than their counterparts. We did not find a significant role of community-level education of mothers on the menstrual hygiene practices of adolescents. Ensuring that adolescent girls have access to hygienic means to manage their menses is critical from a public health perspective and in enabling them to realize their full potential. Programs to enhance menstrual hygiene are warranted. These programs should involve mothers, who are an important source of knowledge about menstrual hygiene. Facilitating girls' access to education may also produce tangible menstrual hygiene benefits.
Highlights
Menstruation is a normal cycle and a healthy part of girls’ and women’s lives, but there are some cultural and religious misconceptions regarding the menstrual period [1]
The results revealed a wide variation in sanitary napkins’ use across the socio-economic and demographic factors
The use of sanitary napkins was significantly higher among girls with 8–9 (53.2%) and 10 and more (75.4%) years of schooling compared to those who had no formal education (26.4%)
Summary
Menstruation is a normal cycle and a healthy part of girls’ and women’s lives, but there are some cultural and religious misconceptions regarding the menstrual period [1]. Hygienic menstrual management consists of using a clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect blood that can be changed in privacy as frequently as necessary for the duration of the menstruation period, use of soap and water to wash the body as required, and availability of facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials [2]. Inadequate menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls (15–19 years) is a public health concern, in low and middle-income countries [6]. India has 355 million menstruating girls and women. Millions of these women and girls face a significant barrier to a comfortable and dignified experience with menstrual hygiene management [7].
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