ArticleBMJ open2020
Menstrual health intervention and school attendance in Uganda (MENISCUS-2): a pilot intervention study.
Article in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04064736 (Menstrual Health Interventions and School Attendance Among Ugandans), which is not on this map. Cited by 53 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Menstrual Health Interventions and School Attendance Among Ugandans
Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Systematic review of educational interventions to improve the menstrual health of young adolescent girls.BMJ open · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Exploring menstrual products: A systematic review and meta-analysis of reusable menstrual pads for public health internationally.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Menstrual knowledge, attitudes and behaviours among secondary school students in Uganda: a longitudinal study.BMC public health · 2026Trial
- Menstrual product preference and factors associated with use of freely-distributed reusable products among secondary students in Uganda: a longitudinal study.BMC women's health · 2026Trial
- Menstrual Pain Management, School Absenteeism and Educational Performance Among Adolescent Students: Cross-Sectional Mixed-Methods Analysis Nested Within a Cluster Randomised Trial.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Trial
- Effects and costs of a multi-component menstrual health intervention (MENISCUS) on mental health problems, educational performance, and menstrual health in Ugandan secondary schools: an open-label, school-based, cluster-randomised controlled trial.The Lancet. Global health · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Management of Menstrual Hygiene in Promoting Education Among Adolescent Girls in Enqucwini Education Zone in Mzimba District.Public health challenges · 2026Article
- Residence-based inequalities among women and girls aged 15-49 years using reusable and single-use menstrual materials in Ghana: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- [Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH): a study of Brazilian rural public elementary schools].Cadernos de saude publica · 2026Article
- School absenteeism during menstruation among adolescent girls in Southern Uganda: A multi-level risk factors analysis.Children and youth services review · 2025Article
- The prevalence of depression and anxiety and associated factors among school-going adolescents in poverty and conflict-affected settings in Uganda.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Adolescents, menstruation, and physical activity: insights from a global scoping review.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- "Due to These Restrictions, Girls Think of Themselves as Nothing": A Qualitative and Quantitative Description of Menstrual Restrictions and Stigma Among Adolescent Girls Across Religious and Other Sociocultural Contexts.Journal of adolescence · 2025Article
- Article
- The red thread: stakeholder perspectives on menstrual health and hygiene in Ghana.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Article
- Knowledge, attitudes, and support of women's menstrual experiences: A cross-sectional survey of men in Kampala, Uganda.Health & place · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesAchieving good menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) is a public health challenge and there is little evidence to inform interventions. The aim of this study was to pilot test an intervention to improve MHH and school attendance in Uganda, in preparation for a future cluster-randomised trial.
designLongitudinal study with pre-post evaluation of a pilot intervention.
settingTwo secondary schools in Entebbe, Uganda.
participantsOf the 473 eligible students in secondary 2 (S2) at baseline, 450 (95.1%; 232 girls and 218 boys) consented/assented. 369 students (188 girls; 81.0%; and 181 boys; 83.0%) participated in the endline survey.
interventionThe intervention comprised training teachers to improve delivery of government guidelines for puberty education, training in use of a menstrual kit and pain management, a drama skit, provision of analgesics and improvements to school water and sanitation hygiene facilities. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Feasibility and acceptability of delivering the intervention. Baseline and endline quantitative surveys were conducted, with qualitative interviews conducted at endline. School attendance was assessed using self-completed daily diaries among a nested cohort of 100 female students.
resultsThere were high levels of uptake of the individual and behavioural intervention components (puberty education, drama skit, menstrual hygiene management (MHM) kit and pain management). The proportion of girls reporting anxiety about next period decreased from 58.6% to 34.4%, and reported use of effective pain management increased from 76.4% to 91.4%. Most girls (81.4%) reported improved school toilet facilities, which improved their comfort managing menstruation. The diary data and qualitative data indicated a potential intervention impact on improving menstrual-related school absenteeism.
conclusionsThe pilot study showed that the multicomponent MHM intervention was acceptable and feasible to deliver, and potentially effective in improving menstruation knowledge and management. A cluster-randomised trial is needed to evaluate rigorously the intervention effects on MHM and school attendance. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04064736; Pre-results.
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