Mapping menstrual health and hygiene progress in US schools: a systematic policy review and comparison across states.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) policy initiatives have emerged as a key strategy to improve adolescent MHH, particularly through the expansion of state-level legislation aimed at increasing access to menstrual materials in K-12 schools in the United States (US). However, limited research has evaluated the implementation or effectiveness of these policies, and efforts to rigorously track and characterize existing policies remain limited. This study systematically reviewed and characterized state-level policies concerning menstrual material access in K-12 schools.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive search of all 50 US state government websites and legal databases to identify relevant legislation. Using MHH domains covered by the indicators recommended by the

SUBMITTER: Ballard AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12405391 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature