a Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences , Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , PA, USA.
b Nepal Fertility Care Center , Sanepa , Nepal.
Glob Public Health. 2019 Sep;14(9):1288-1301. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2019.1583267. Epub 2019 Feb 20.
Menstruation is a natural, physiological process, but it can be a challenging experience for millions of women around the world. In Nepal, a geographically small yet diverse country of 125 caste/ethnic groups, understanding how caste/ethnicity impacts menstrual health is critical for developing context-specific interventions to improve women's health. A community-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 679 women and girls between the ages of 13-51 from the country's most populous castes/ethnic groups. Forty eight percent had high menstrual knowledge, 60% had positive menstrual attitudes, and 59% had positive menstrual practices. Caste/ethnicity was a significant predictor of menstrual knowledge and practices. The caste/ethnic groups Tarai/Madhesi/Other, Newar, Janajati, and Muslim all had statistically significant fewer odds of positive menstrual practices compared to Brahman/Chhetri (high caste groups), with Janajati (indigenous ethnic groups) having the poorest outcomes. Despite Nepal making impressive advances in health, certain caste/ethnic groups have fallen behind in terms of menstrual health outcomes. Consequently, blanket menstrual health programs may not be sufficient for improving menstrual knowledge and practices for all. Future programming should consider the use of local languages and context-specific content that incorporates indigenous beliefs, as well as cultivate partnerships with indigenous health organizations, and develop outcome indicators disaggregated by caste/ethnicity to ensure improved menstrual health for all.
月经是一种自然的生理过程,但对于全世界数以百万计的女性来说,它可能是一种具有挑战性的体验。在尼泊尔,这个地域虽小但却拥有 125 个种姓/族群的多样化国家,了解种姓/族群如何影响月经健康对于制定特定于当地情况的干预措施以改善妇女健康至关重要。本研究采用基于社区的横断面调查,对该国人口最多的种姓/族群中的 679 名 13-51 岁的妇女和女孩进行了调查。其中 48%的人具有较高的月经知识水平,60%的人对月经持积极态度,59%的人具有积极的月经实践。种姓/族群是月经知识和实践的重要预测因素。塔赖/马德西/其他、纽瓦尔、贾纳杰蒂和穆斯林种姓/族群与婆罗门/切特里(高种姓群体)相比,具有积极月经实践的可能性统计学上显著降低,而贾纳杰蒂(土著族群)的情况最差。尽管尼泊尔在卫生方面取得了令人瞩目的进步,但某些种姓/族群在月经健康结果方面已经落后。因此,全面的月经健康计划可能不足以改善所有人群的月经知识和实践。未来的规划应考虑使用当地语言和特定于当地情况的内容,其中包括土著信仰,以及与土著卫生组织建立伙伴关系,并制定按种姓/族群细分的结果指标,以确保所有人群的月经健康得到改善。
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