Abbotsleigh School, Sydney, NSW 2076, Australia.
School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 16;18(18):9766. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189766.
Girls in low- and middle-income countries struggle to maintain good menstrual hygiene in part due to a lack of affordable sanitary products. The unaffordability of reliable sanitary products can lead to school absenteeism and is a barrier to education attainment and gender equality for girls in low-income contexts. Further, the lack of adequate disposal facilities can lead to social embarrassment and environmental pollution. Low-cost biodegradable absorbents (cotton terry cloth, linen, hemp cloth and bamboo wadding) were investigated in gelatine solution in terms of their absorption for use in menstrual hygiene. Bamboo wadding exhibits the highest absorption index (7.86), greater than cotton terry cloth (0.84), hemp cloth (1.4), linen (1.57) and a commercial sanitary pad (4.38). Though the absorption index of bamboo wadding is promising, especially in light of the vast availability of bamboo in tropical low- and middle-income countries, challenges lie in overcoming complex extraction processes from bamboo plants, which is discussed. This simple research of a physical material from a technical aspect, if further investigated with a social science and policy lens, could increase school attendance, improve the education levels attained by girls and be a key step towards gender equality in low- and middle-income countries.
在中低收入国家，由于缺乏负担得起的卫生产品，女孩难以保持良好的经期卫生。可靠的卫生产品价格不菲，这导致女孩缺课，也阻碍了她们在贫困环境中获得教育和实现性别平等。此外，缺乏足够的处理设施会导致社交尴尬和环境污染。本研究旨在探索在凝胶溶液中用低成本可生物降解的吸收剂（棉绒、亚麻、大麻布和竹棉絮）来吸收经血，以用于经期卫生。竹棉絮的吸收指数（7.86）最高，高于棉绒（0.84）、大麻布（1.4）、亚麻布（1.57）和商用卫生巾（4.38）。尽管竹棉絮的吸收指数很有前景，尤其是考虑到热带中低收入国家竹子的广泛供应，但仍存在从竹材中提取的复杂工艺方面的挑战，对此进行了讨论。如果从社会科学和政策角度进一步研究这种物理材料的简单技术方面，可能会增加女孩的入学率，提高她们的教育水平，并成为中低收入国家实现性别平等的关键一步。
