Examining the predictors of use of sanitary napkins among adolescent girls: A multi-level approach

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• Gopalan (2019) points out three barriers to adopting menstrual hygiene practices in India: the lack of awareness about menstruation, a lack of acceptance about the menstrual period, and lack of access to quality hygiene products

• 2011 implemented an initiative to increase awareness on menstrual hygiene, access to and use of high-quality sanitary napkins, and safe disposal of sanitary napkins in an environmentally friendly manner

• 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.

• The benefits of maintaining good hygiene during periods include a reduced risk of urinary tract infections, genitals rashes, and cervical cancer

• study in 2005 showed that 90% of India’s women used an unhygienic cloth to manage their menstrual period, whereas only 11.2% used hygienic sanitary pads and 3.9% used locally prepared napkins

• A qualitative study in rural Haryana in 2006 revealed that only 30% of adolescent girls used sanitary napkins, even though 80% of them were aware of them and 79% were motivated to use sanitary napkins

• limited accessibility to water and sanitation, lack of privacy, and unaffordability of sanitary pads

• reproductive tract infections (RTIs)

• Explanatory

• Higher levels of mother’s education were associated with higher use of sanitary napkins among adolescent girls.