'The girl with her period is the one to hang her head' Reflections on menstrual management among schoolgirls in rural Kenya

BMC International Health and Human Rights

Research Article

Richard D Rheingans¹  Bethany A Caruso²  Shannon A McMahon³  Alfredo F Obure⁴  Emily A Ogutu⁴  Imelda A Ochari⁴  Peter J Winch⁵ 

[1] Center for African Studies, Department of Environmental and Global Health University of Florida, Box 100188, 101 S. Newell Dr, Room 2148, FL 32610, Gainesville, USA;Emory University Center for Global Safe Water, Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Road, Room 767, GA 30322, Atlanta, USA;Emory University Center for Global Safe Water, Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Road, Room 767, GA 30322, Atlanta, USA;Social and Behavioral Interventions Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, MD 21205-2179, Baltimore, USA;Great Lakes University of Kisumu, P.O. Box 2224 - 40100, Kisumu, Kenya;Social and Behavioral Interventions Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, MD 21205-2179, Baltimore, USA;

关键词: Focus Group Discussion;    Young Girl;    Female Teacher;    Data Collection Activity;    Nyanza Province;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1472-698X-11-7

 received in 2010-12-15, accepted in 2011-06-16,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe onset of menstruation is a landmark event in the life of a young woman. Yet the complications and challenges that can accompany such an event have been understudied, specifically in resource-poor settings. As interventions aim to improve female attendance in schools, it is important to explore how menstruation is perceived and navigated by girls in the school setting. This research conveys rural Kenyan schoolgirls' perceptions and practices related to menstruationMethodsData were collected at six rural schools in the Nyanza Province of Western Kenya. Using focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and field notes from observations, researchers collected information from 48 primary schoolgirls and nine teachers. Systematic analysis began with a reading of transcripts and debriefing notes, followed by manual coding of the narratives.ResultsFocus group discussions became opportunities for girls to share thoughts on menstruation, instruct one another on management practices and advise one another on coping mechanisms. Girls expressed fear, shame, distraction and confusion as feelings associated with menstruation. These feelings are largely linked to a sense of embarrassment, concerns about being stigmatized by fellow students and, as teachers explained, a perception that the onset of menstruation signals the advent of a girl's sexual status. Among the many methods for managing their periods, girls most frequently said they folded, bunched up or sewed cloth, including cloth from shirts or dresses, scraps of old cloth, or strips of an old blanket. Cloth was reported to frequently leak and cause chafing, which made school attendance difficult particularly as the day progressed. Attitudes and practices of girls toward menstruation have been arranged into personal, environmental and behavioural factors.ConclusionFurther research on menstrual management options that are practical, sustainable and culturally acceptable must be conducted to inform future programs and policies that aim to empower young girls as they transition into womanhood. Stakeholders working within this and similar contexts must consider systematic mechanisms to explain to young girls what menstruation is and how to manage it. Providing sanitary supplies or guiding girls on how to create supplies serve as critical components for future interventions.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© McMahon et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011. This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.