Biological, material and socio-cultural constraints to effective menstrual hygiene management among secondary school students in Tanzania.

ABSTRACT: Menstrual hygiene management is an important determinant for girls' educational outcomes. We develop a method of cross-sectional analysis that quantifies the relative importance of four distinct mechanisms: material, biological, social and informational constraints and consider four main schooling outcomes: absenteeism, early departure, concentration and participation. We use survey data from 524 female students enrolled in four co-educational secondary schools in Northern Tanzania. Average age at first period is 14.2 years (standard deviation = 1.1, range 9-19). Information is the least binding constraint: 90-95% of girls report they received information about menstruation and how to manage it. In contrast, biological constraints are hindering: (i) the distribution of menstrual cramps and

SUBMITTER: Stoilova D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10021794 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature