Publication:

Effectiveness of menstrual health and hygiene management training program among tribal women of Jharkhand

Background Menstrual health is one of the many common biological processes that women experience and yet they face challenges to adapting healthier practices due to societal and cultural norms attached to the subject.  The intensity of the issue is magnified for tribal women due to a lack of knowledge and accessibility to facilities. CInI (Collectives for integrated livelihood initiatives), Jharkhand based grassroot organization in collaboration with its 6 (FPC) farmer producer companies) implemented menstrual hygiene management (MHM) training for women from 7 blocks across 6 districts.

Methods This study examines the effectiveness of the MHM program for tribal populations to assess their knowledge, attitudes and infrastructure facilities. A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst the MHM program attendees. Data was collected using questionnaires pre- and post-training from 465 participants.

Results The post-training answers showed significant improvements in the understanding of menstruation. The 97.6% considered menstruation to be a normal biological process, and 43.4% adopted the practice of changing sanitary napkins three times a day.

Conclusions The study highlights the need to tailor the menstrual health management program to the context of the community. The model leveraging existing community leaders and practitioners accelerates the program participation and outcome.