Menstrual Hygiene Management Interventions and Their Effects on Adolescent Girls: A Systematic Review
Rajnandani Kumari1, Research Scholar,
Department of Home Science, Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan
Dr. Suvidha2, Associate Professor,
Department of Home Science (Human Development), Banasthali Vidyapith,
Rajasthan
Abstract
“Teenage girls may experience physical, social, psychological, and educational difficulties as a result of poor management of their menstrual hygiene. Researchers have carried up intervention studies to address these problems, but the results have had varying effects on school attendance. The evidence about the impact of menstrual hygiene interventions on teenage girls has been methodically gathered and assessed for this review. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, a thorough search of the literature was conducted and the results were reported. PubMed and Google Scholar were used to search both peer-reviewed publications and grey literature. Quasi-experimental research and individual or cluster randomized controlled trials were included in the search, which ran from the indexing date until January 15, 2025.”
“Adolescent girls' school attendance, performance, and dropout rates, as well as their menstrual knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and emotional well-being, are all positively impacted by menstrual hygiene interventions, according to an analysis of twenty trial studies. The majority of the studies have a low to medium risk of bias. The effectiveness of treatments involving male and parental involvement, interventions addressing community misconceptions about menstruation, and the effects of infrastructure upgrades on water, sanitation, and hygiene were also disregarded in the research. By assisting adolescent girls in better managing their periods, interventions that focus on menstrual hygiene management can improve their educational outcomes as well as their menstrual knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Improvements in the physical environment at home and at school, as well as the social norms around menstruation, have been overlooked in Favor of menstrual products and education. To help stakeholders and policymakers create long-term, sustainable solutions to these issues, trial studies should adopt a comprehensive strategy that takes into account the entire sociocultural context in which menstrual hygiene management occurs.”
Keywords: “Menstrual hygiene management, Adolescent girls, Intervention studies, School attendance, Menstrual knowledge, Emotional well-being, Parental engagement, Socio-cultural environment.”
