Dear Colleagues,

Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) – an innovative smartphone-based population survey – just released our second brief on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) from Lagos, Nigeria.

Results from the second round of data collection in Lagos found that 85% of women ages 15 to 49 have everything they need for proper MHM – such as clean materials, a facility, pain medication, and places to dispose of used products. Additionally, women in Lagos are more likely to have safe, clean and private MHM facilities compared to those in Kaduna State, Nigeria. Findings also include which environments women are using for MHM, as well as wash and reuse of MHM materials. The survey included 1,429 females of reproductive age (15 to 49 years).

These results are in stark contrast to our first MHM brief, released earlier this month, for Kaduna State, Nigeria. “[These results from Lagos] are just another reminder of the stark differences between regions. Among women. We are actually several countries in Nigeria” comments Dr. Elizabeth Omoluabi, principal investigator for the PMA2020/Nigeria survey.

Additional briefs featuring MHM findings from other program countries are forthcoming. We invite you to download and share the Lagos MHM brief (also attached).


Regards,
Alec Shannon
WASH Program Specialist, PMA2020

Hi Nancy,

Thanks for your interest. As luck would have it, we are working in Kenya, Uganda and India. MHM data should be available for Kenya and Uganda and I will work on getting them out before the end of the year. India will not have anything available until the middle of next year I'm afraid.

I'll keep you updated! Feel free to reach out to me via email with any further questions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Thanks for your feedback, Susannah! In the some ways, the results are positive, in others not so much. Less than half of women reported having all they need to manage their menstrual needs, for instance. That is very sad to me.

I do agree with you point about the drying of reusable cloths - I admit, I was quite surprised (and pleased) at this myself! Unfortunately, our data do not capture how cloths are worn or held in place.

Hi Alec,
Very exciting to see these sorts of data collected in large numbers using a smartphone-based survey. It speaks to the power of data.

PATH Is interested in data for Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and India in particular. Has the survey been conducted in these places? If not, do you work with partners to conduct the survey?

Best wishes,
Nancy
--
Senior Program Officer, PATH
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I would like to accessc a comparable tool to survey mentruators in the UK. I am conducting small scale questionnaires and focus groups to find out what people use and why, and what they see as the benfits and shortvomings. I think your results look very positive - reusable cloths properly dried (98% is excellent I'd say!) are economical, healthy (accordimg to most sources) and sustainable. Any info on how cloths are actually worn and held in place?

Dear Colleagues,

Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) – an innovative smartphone-based population survey – is collecting some of the first population-level data on menstrual hygiene management (MHM).

Results from the second round of data collection in Kaduna State, Nigeria, found that only 37% of women ages 15 to 49 have everything they need for proper MHM – such as clean materials, a facility, pain medication, and places to dispose of used products. Additionally, rural women in Kaduna are consistently less likely to have safe, clean and private MHM facilities compared to those in urban areas. Findings also include which environments women are using for MHM and highlight disparities in facility characteristics among urban and rural women. The survey included 2,934 females of reproductive age (15 to 49 years).

“These results reveal a widespread need for improved menstrual hygiene management options for women in Kaduna. Something as simple as making disposable sanitary pads affordable and readily available for Nigerian girls and women to properly manage their periods will greatly improve their lives,” comments Dr. Elizabeth Omoluabi, principal investigator for the PMA2020/Nigeria survey.

PMA2020 looks at how menstrual hygiene is managed across age groups, wealth categories, and residence, including the types of materials used to collect menstrual blood, the main environments where MHM is practiced, and the safety, privacy, and cleanliness of these environments, among other metrics.

Additional briefs featuring MHM findings from other program countries are forthcoming. We invite you to download and share the Kaduna MHM brief (also attached).


Regards,
Alec Shannon
WASH Program Specialist, PMA2020