Observational studyWomen's health (London, England)
Breaking the period product insecurity cycle: An observational study of outcomes experienced by recipients of free period products in the United States.
Observational study in Women's health (London, England). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Menstrual Equity: A Survey Study with ZIP-Code Level Analysis.Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM · 2026Article
- The medicalisation of menstruation: a double-edged sword.Wellcome open research · 2025Review
- Period product insecurity, parenting stress, and mental health: A cross-sectional study examining anxiety and depressive symptoms among caregivers of young children.Women's health (London, England)Article
- A bleeding shame: Period poverty, stigma and menstrual equity in a regional Australian university setting.Women's health (London, England)Article
- Bleeding barriers: Reimaging menstrual health research through a global and interdisciplinary perspective.Women's health (London, England)Article
- Counting every cycle: Validating a measure of period product insecurity in the United States.Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe United States is increasingly recognizing period product insecurity, insufficient access to menstrual products and limited private spaces for managing menstruation due to financial constraints, as an issue impacting the well-being and dignity of Americans. One strategy to address period product insecurity has been distributing free period products via period supply banks. The outcomes of period product distribution outside the school setting are absent from the literature.
objectivesThis study, a formative evaluation of the free period product distribution efforts of the Alliance for Period Supplies, aims to identify (1) characteristics of individuals receiving products from period supply banks and their experiences of period product insecurity and (2) health and social outcomes experienced by recipients of free period products.
designSurvey data collection occurred at two points: baseline and one-year follow-up. All study participants provided verbal consent.
methodsBetween Fall 2018 and Spring 2020, 1863 baseline and 80 follow-up surveys were administered. Participants received free period products for themselves and/or a household member from one of 20 participating Alliance for Period Supplies period supply banks directly or from one of their 64 partner agencies.
resultsAt baseline, 72.4% of participants had to choose between buying period products and another basic need. One year after accessing a period supply bank, 36.3% of participants reported this experience (
conclusionPeriod supply banks play an essential role in facilitating access to period products and the resulting benefits. Our study highlights the need for sustainable, well-funded policies and interventions to address period product insecurity effectively in society.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.