Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40798983›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of school health2025

State of Menstrual Health Education in 2024: Content Analysis of US K-12 Public School Education Standards.

Emily Richardson, Page D Dobbs, Sarah Bemis, Hope Ballentine, Shristi Bhochhibhoya, Victor Kwaku Akakpo, Kylie Lovett

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In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of school health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Emily RichardsonEleanor Mann School of Nursing, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, Center for Public Health and Technology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.ORCID 0009-0008-3397-828X
Page D DobbsAssociate Professor of Public Health, Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, Center for Public Health and Technology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.
Sarah BemisHeartland Whole Health Institute, Bentonville, Arkansas, USA.
Hope BallentineEleanor Mann School of Nursing, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.
Shristi BhochhibhoyaDepartment of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, Center for Public Health and Technology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.
Victor Kwaku AkakpoPublic Policy Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.ORCID 0009-0000-2672-8452
Kylie LovettDepartment of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA.

Funding

University of Arkansas Honors College
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExploratory study aiming to assess the prevalence and time of initiation of menstrual health curriculum in US public school education standards by state.

methodsUS public school Kindergarten-12th grade education standards from each state's Department of Education website, including D.C. (n = 51), were searched for menstruation, menstrual, menses, menopause, period, menarche, reproduction, puberty, and growth and development.

results25.5% (n = 13) of US education standards include menstruation. Of these, constructs of comprehensive menstrual health were recorded including abnormal menstruation (n = 6), menstrual hygiene (n = 6), menopause (n = 1), and stigma (n = 7). Education is initiated in 3rd-5th grade (n = 6) and 6th-8th grade (n = 7). One state required boys and girls to be taught separately. Parents opt-out choice is allowed in (n = 6) and (n = 6) requires certified teachers. POLICY IMPLICATIONS: Isolating menstrual education as an independent framework is needed to advocate for educational inclusion in US public schools.

conclusionsMenstrual health education is profoundly rare in US K-12 public education standards, despite 50 million students being impacted. Furthermore, comprehensive menstrual education does not currently exist in US education standards.

Indexed as

CurriculumHealth EducationMenstruationSchool Health ServicesSchoolsAdolescentChildFemaleHumansMaleUnited Statescontent analysiseducation standardsmenstrual health educationperiod povertypublic school

Identifiers

PMID40798983
PMCPMC12535950

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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.