ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2022
Effects of Menstrual Health and Hygiene on School Absenteeism and Drop-Out among Adolescent Girls in Rural Gambia.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic narrative review on Menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and The Gambia.International health · 2026Pooled it
- Does distribution of menstrual products through community-based, peer-led sexual and reproductive health services increase use of appropriate menstrual products? Findings from the Yathu Yathu trial.Reproductive health · 2023Trial
- Exploring menstrual health knowledge, attitude, and experiences among adolescent girls in public schools in Georgia: a qualitative study.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Access to WASH facilities and health implications of period poverty among in-school girls in rural areas of Africa: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Menstrual hygiene management and social exclusion among women in Afghanistan: insights from a national survey.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Economic insecurity, access to menstrual materials, and sexual coercion: a qualitative study among adolescent schoolgirls in Ibadan, Nigeria.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Positive but insufficient: ghana's attempt at eradicating period-related school absenteeism through sanitary pads provision for schoolgirls.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- Stakeholder priorities for sustaining operations and maintenance of school sanitation facilities in Kampala City, Uganda.Discover public health · 2026Article
- Predictive factors of menstruation's impact on adolescents' daily, social, and academic lives: A cross-sectional study.Journal of education and health promotion · 2026Article
- Using qualitative data to build causal pathways on perceived associations between poor menstrual health and hygiene and harms among schoolgirls in western Kenya.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- Youth insights on menstrual health and hygiene in Burkina Faso; a comparison of written versus spoken qualitative text.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Mapping the health outcomes of menstrual inequity: a comprehensive scoping review.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Policy to practice: insights from implementation of a school-based sanitary napkin distribution programme in Odisha, India.Health research policy and systems · 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
- A multifaceted menstrual health intervention to improve psychosocial outcomes and menstrual practices among secondary schoolgirls in Northwest Tanzania: a pilot intervention study.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- A comparative study of menstrual poverty among urban and rural female learners in government schools of Zambia.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- Impact of the Flo Cycle Tracking App on menstrual knowledge and health in low-income and middle-income countries: a longitudinal study.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Effect of menstruation on school attendance of girls along with water, sanitation, and hygiene services in Northwest Ethiopia.The Pan African medical journal · 2025Article
- Menstrual Cycle Management and Period Tracker App Use in Millennial and Generation Z Individuals: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Poor knowledge and management of menstruation impacts girls' school attendance and academic performance. This paper aims to explore how menstrual hygiene management practices and related factors influence school absenteeism and drop-out among primary and secondary school girls in rural Gambia. Mixed-method studies were conducted among students and key informants from 19 schools from July 2015-December 2017. Focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, cross-sectional surveys, menstrual diaries, and school water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facility observations were used. Key findings from the interviews were that menstrual pain, cultural beliefs, fear of peers knowing menstrual status, and poor school WASH facilities led to school absenteeism, however, they had no impact on school drop-out. Of the 561 girls surveyed, 27% reported missing at least one school day per month due to menses. Missing school during the most recent menstrual period was strongly associated with menstrual pain (extreme pain adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 16.8 (95% CI: 7.29-38.74)), as was having at least one symptom suggestive of urinary tract infection (AOR = 1.71 (95% CI: 1.16-2.52)) or reproductive tract infection (AOR = 1.99 (95% CI: 1.34-2.94)). Clean toilets (AOR = 0.44 (95% CI: 0.26-75)), being happy using school latrines while menstruating (AOR = 0.59 (95% CI: 0.37-0.93)), and soap availability (AOR = 0.46 (95% CI: 0.3-0.73)) were associated with reduced odds of school absenteeism. This study suggests menstrual pain, school WASH facilities, urogenital infections, and cultural beliefs affected school attendance among menstruating girls in rural Gambia.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.