Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia.
Women Health. 2022 Apr;62(4):287-292. doi: 10.1080/03630242.2022.2057631. Epub 2022 Apr 4.
In early 2020, Australia experienced a nation-wide lockdown to help stop the spread of COVID-19. While many aspects of normal life were put on hold, others, like menstruation, did not stop. We examined the impact of the lockdown on the ability of people to access their usual period products. We conducted an online survey open for 2.5 weeks during the lockdown. Here, we report on responses from participants who identified as female, who were of reproductive age, and who answered questions regarding their ability to access their usual products. We fitted univariable and multivariable logistic regression models to explore factors associated with difficulty accessing period products and utilized a conventional content analysis for the free-text qualitative data. Of the 410 participants, nearly one-third reported difficulties accessing their usual period products during lockdown. Women under 25 years were more likely to experience difficulty accessing products. Free-text comments revealed the ways in which women handled this, often purchasing whatever was available regardless of whether it was a product that met their needs or not. Periods do not stop in a pandemic, and it is vital that people are able to access the products they require to manage their periods hygienically and comfortably.
2020 年初,澳大利亚实施全国封锁以帮助阻止 COVID-19 的传播。虽然许多正常生活的方面都被搁置,但其他方面,如月经,并没有停止。我们研究了封锁对人们获取惯用经期产品能力的影响。我们在封锁期间进行了为期 2.5 周的在线调查。在此,我们报告了参与者的回应,他们自认为是女性,处于生育年龄,并回答了有关他们获取惯用产品能力的问题。我们拟合了单变量和多变量逻辑回归模型来探索与获取经期产品困难相关的因素,并对自由文本定性数据进行了常规内容分析。在 410 名参与者中,近三分之一的人报告在封锁期间难以获取惯用的经期产品。25 岁以下的女性更有可能遇到获取产品的困难。自由文本评论揭示了女性处理这种情况的方式,通常会购买任何现有的产品,而不管它是否符合她们的需求。在大流行期间,经期不会停止,人们能够获取他们所需的产品以卫生和舒适地管理经期至关重要。