A systematic review of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) during humanitarian crises and/or emergencies in low- and middle-income countries
BackgroundPoor menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is linked to adverse health, and quality of life, particularly during emergencies. Although in recent times increased emphasis is being laid upon MHM during humanitarian crises—pandemics, disasters and conflicts, the essential components of complete...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1018092/full |
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| author | Kripalini Patel Nishisipa Panda Krushna Chandra Sahoo Shipra Saxena Narendra Singh Chouhan Pratibha Singh Upasona Ghosh Bhuputra Panda |
| author_facet | Kripalini Patel Nishisipa Panda Krushna Chandra Sahoo Shipra Saxena Narendra Singh Chouhan Pratibha Singh Upasona Ghosh Bhuputra Panda |
| author_sort | Kripalini Patel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundPoor menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is linked to adverse health, and quality of life, particularly during emergencies. Although in recent times increased emphasis is being laid upon MHM during humanitarian crises—pandemics, disasters and conflicts, the essential components of complete MHM during an emergency are not clearly spelt out. We conducted a systematic review to examine, analyse and describe the existing evidence related to the challenges experienced by women and girls in practicing MHM during humanitarian crises and / or public health emergencies.MethodsWe followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022328636). We searched online repositories: PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO for articles published between January 2000 and April 2022. For presenting key findings, we used the descriptive statistics and thematic analysis approach.ResultsWe identified a total of 1,078 published articles, out of which 78 were selected for a full-text review, and finally 21 articles were included. The pooled prevalence of lack of access to sanitary pads during humanitarian crises was 34 percent (95 percent CI 0.24–0.45). The prevalence of safe and proper sanitary pad disposal practices ranged from 11 to 85 per cent, with a pooled prevalence of 54 per cent (95 per cent CI 0.21–86). Qualitative analyses projected three themes that emerged on MHM during humanitarian crises (1) Availability and affordability of menstrual products, and accessibility to water, sanitation and health (WASH) services, (2) Availability of support system and coping with “period poverty,” and (3) Gender dimensions of menstrual hygiene management. Most studies reported non-availability of MHM products and WASH services during emergencies. Existence of barriers at systemic and personal level posed challenges in practicing menstrual hygiene. Privacy was identified as a common barrier, as emergency shelters were reportedly not women-friendly.ConclusionAvailability of limited evidence on the subject is suggestive of the need to invest resources for strengthening primary research in low- and middle-income countries and more specifically during emergencies. Context-specific state level policies on MHM during emergencies would help to guide district and sub-district managers in strengthening systems and address barriers for the provision of MHM services during emergencies.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022328636, identifier CRD42022328636. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:01:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-671df3db3abb4a5f8fb5791c8bb1ce51 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T06:01:41Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-671df3db3abb4a5f8fb5791c8bb1ce512022-12-22T01:59:47ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652022-09-011010.3389/fpubh.2022.10180921018092A systematic review of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) during humanitarian crises and/or emergencies in low- and middle-income countriesKripalini Patel0Nishisipa Panda1Krushna Chandra Sahoo2Shipra Saxena3Narendra Singh Chouhan4Pratibha Singh5Upasona Ghosh6Bhuputra Panda7Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, IndiaIndian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, IndiaHealth Technology Assessment in India, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, IndiaUnited Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, IndiaUnited Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, IndiaUnited Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), New Delhi, IndiaIndian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, IndiaIndian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, IndiaBackgroundPoor menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is linked to adverse health, and quality of life, particularly during emergencies. Although in recent times increased emphasis is being laid upon MHM during humanitarian crises—pandemics, disasters and conflicts, the essential components of complete MHM during an emergency are not clearly spelt out. We conducted a systematic review to examine, analyse and describe the existing evidence related to the challenges experienced by women and girls in practicing MHM during humanitarian crises and / or public health emergencies.MethodsWe followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022328636). We searched online repositories: PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO for articles published between January 2000 and April 2022. For presenting key findings, we used the descriptive statistics and thematic analysis approach.ResultsWe identified a total of 1,078 published articles, out of which 78 were selected for a full-text review, and finally 21 articles were included. The pooled prevalence of lack of access to sanitary pads during humanitarian crises was 34 percent (95 percent CI 0.24–0.45). The prevalence of safe and proper sanitary pad disposal practices ranged from 11 to 85 per cent, with a pooled prevalence of 54 per cent (95 per cent CI 0.21–86). Qualitative analyses projected three themes that emerged on MHM during humanitarian crises (1) Availability and affordability of menstrual products, and accessibility to water, sanitation and health (WASH) services, (2) Availability of support system and coping with “period poverty,” and (3) Gender dimensions of menstrual hygiene management. Most studies reported non-availability of MHM products and WASH services during emergencies. Existence of barriers at systemic and personal level posed challenges in practicing menstrual hygiene. Privacy was identified as a common barrier, as emergency shelters were reportedly not women-friendly.ConclusionAvailability of limited evidence on the subject is suggestive of the need to invest resources for strengthening primary research in low- and middle-income countries and more specifically during emergencies. Context-specific state level policies on MHM during emergencies would help to guide district and sub-district managers in strengthening systems and address barriers for the provision of MHM services during emergencies.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022328636, identifier CRD42022328636.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1018092/fullmenstrual hygiene managementhumanitarian crisisconflictdisasterpandemicwomen health |
| spellingShingle | Kripalini Patel Nishisipa Panda Krushna Chandra Sahoo Shipra Saxena Narendra Singh Chouhan Pratibha Singh Upasona Ghosh Bhuputra Panda A systematic review of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) during humanitarian crises and/or emergencies in low- and middle-income countries Frontiers in Public Health menstrual hygiene management humanitarian crisis conflict disaster pandemic women health |
| title | A systematic review of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) during humanitarian crises and/or emergencies in low- and middle-income countries |
| title_full | A systematic review of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) during humanitarian crises and/or emergencies in low- and middle-income countries |
| title_fullStr | A systematic review of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) during humanitarian crises and/or emergencies in low- and middle-income countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | A systematic review of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) during humanitarian crises and/or emergencies in low- and middle-income countries |
| title_short | A systematic review of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) during humanitarian crises and/or emergencies in low- and middle-income countries |
| title_sort | systematic review of menstrual hygiene management mhm during humanitarian crises and or emergencies in low and middle income countries |
| topic | menstrual hygiene management humanitarian crisis conflict disaster pandemic women health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1018092/full |
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