Cited by 144Menstrual Health and DisordersDisaster Response and ManagementGender Studies and Social Issues

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 28 of the 28 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 1 of the 41 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

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

Open access

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Menstrual 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. METHODS: A 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. RESULTS: Menstrual 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. CONCLUSIONS: In 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.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This mixed-methods study in three earthquake-affected villages of Sindhupalchowk, Nepal, found that menstrual hygiene management was a lower-priority but pressing need after the 2015 earthquake, with relief materials lacking menstrual adsorbents. Women and girls largely relied on reusable cloth, and the authors argue MHM should be integrated into disaster relief using culturally appropriate, sustainable local options.

Key findings

  • Menstrual hygiene was the sixth highest perceived immediate need, listed by 18.8% of respondents; food (97.4%), shelter (75.2%), water (63.2%), clothes (47.0%), and information about family/relatives (29.9%) ranked higher.
  • None of the 117 respondents received menstrual adsorbents as relief material in the first month after the earthquake; 49.6% received soap, and adequate privacy for MHM was available to 42.7%. Reusable cloth use rose from 66.7% before the earthquake to 76.1% after it, while disposable pad use was 23.9%.
  • Disposable pads were preferred by 77.8% of respondents for being clean, hygienic, easy to use, and comfortable, but 73.5% perceived reusable cloth as a sustainable choice in disasters.
  • Reusable cloth use after the earthquake was associated with age 25–34 years (OR = 3.14; CI 1.07–9.20), no schooling (OR = 9.68; CI 2.16–43.33), being married (OR = 2.99; CI 1.22–7.31), and prior reusable cloth use (OR = 5.82; CI 2.33–14.55).

Methods

  • Mixed-methods study among 117 women and adolescent girls in three villages of Sindhupalchowk district, Nepal (Chautara, Kubhinde, and Pipaldanda), with data collected 16–29 August 2015, about three months after the 25 April 2015 earthquake.
  • Purposive sampling was used to invite 127 eligible participants; 117 agreed, giving a response rate of 92.1%. Quantitative data came from a semi-structured questionnaire and were analyzed in SPSS v21.
  • Qualitative data came from brief in-depth interviews with 5 respondents who menstruated on the day of or within the first week after the earthquake; transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Limitations

  • The paper states that the study was conducted in one earthquake-affected district and may not be generalizable to all of Nepal; because the setting was predominantly rural, findings may be particularly unsuitable to urban areas.
  • The paper also states potential recall bias cannot be overlooked because it asked about first menstrual period management after the earthquake and was conducted three months later.
  • Evident from the text: the qualitative component included only 5 in-depth interviews, and the reported odds ratios are unadjusted, limiting the strength and transferability of the findings.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1186/s12905-018-0527-y

Cites

28 of 28 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

35 Own result · 19 Not checked yet · 12 Own interpretation · 11 Own method · 2 No basis given · 1 Partly supported · accuracy not yet measured

Verify all 40 references — free account
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 27
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 18
38 of 38
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The three study villages and the 117 respondents are representative of women and adolescent girls in post-earthquake Nepal, so that findings can be generalized to the wider affected population.

    “This study was conducted amongst 117 women and adolescent girls in three villages of Sindhupalchowk district of Nepal.”
    “In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, women and girls completely depended on the use of locally available resources as adsorbents during menstruation.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Respondents' recall of menstrual practices, needs, and experiences from the earthquake period is accurate.

    “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.”
    “When respondents were asked to recall up to five immediate needs following the earthquake”
2 of 2

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Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

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Citations

Cites

Show all 28 references

Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Biran A, Curtis V, Gautam OP, Greenland K, Islam MS, Schmidt W-P, et al. Menstrual Hygiene. In: Background paper on measuring WASH and food hygiene practices–definition of goals to be tackled post 2015 by the joint monitoring Programme. 1st ed. London: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; 2012. p. 81.
  2. Ten VTA. Menstrual hygiene: a neglected condition for the achievement of seven millennium development goals. Zotermeer: Europe External Policy Advisors; 2007. p. 1–24.
  3. Kaur K, Arora B, Singh GK, Neki NS. Social beliefs and practices associated with menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls of Amritsar, Punjab. India J Int Med Sci Acad. 2012;25(2):69–70.
  4. Travers CL. No one cares we’re bleedling: the place of menstrual management in humanitarian response [dissertation]. Uppsala: Uppsala Universitet; 2015.
  5. Bradshaw S, Fordham M. Women, girls and disasters: a review for DFID. 2013.
  6. Auemaneekul N, Bhandari S, Kerdmongkol P. Menstrual hygiene practices among adolescents in a Rural District of Nepal. Asia J Public Heal. 2013;4:8–15.
  7. Jamieson S. Stinking 10,000 tonne pile of rubbish in great heck. The Telegraph: Yorkshire investigated by Environment Agency; 2015.

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Metadata

Authors
Budhathoki, S. S., Bhattachan, M., Castro-Sánchez, E., Sagtani, R. A., Rayamajhi, R. B., Rai, P., & Sharma, G.
Affiliations
  • B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (NP)
  • Patan Academy of Health Sciences (NP)
  • London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (GB)
Corresponding author
Budhathoki, Shyam Sundar
Venue
BMC Women's Health
Published
2018-02-02
Volume
18
Issue
1
Pages
33-33
ISSN
1472-6874 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2794607260
Cited by
144
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2
FWCI
10.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • BMC Women s Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • City Research Online (City University London) (acceptedVersion)
  • LSHTM Research Online (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) (acceptedVersion)
  • Brunel University Research Archive (BURA) (Brunel University London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Florence Nightingale Foundation
  • Imperial College London
  • Public Health England
  • Patient Safety Translational Research Centre
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Menstrual Health and Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Emergency Medical Services › Disaster Response and Management
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Studies and Social Issues
Keywords
menstrual hygiene management, adolescent girls, women, humanitarian aid, menstrual products, disaster response
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Hygiene, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Menarche, Menstruation, Nepal, Surveys and Questionnaires, Rural Population, Menstrual Hygiene Products, Hygiene Products, Young Adult, Earthquakes

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