Singh Aditya, Chakrabarty Mahashweta, Chandra Rakesh, Chowdhury Sourav, Singh Shivani
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning Centre, Population Council, New York, NY, United States of America.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2023 Jun 13;3(6):e0002047. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002047. eCollection 2023.
Menstrual hygiene among women is a critical public health issue in urban India, but it remains understudied and under-researched. However, to our knowledge, no national level study in India has yet examined the differentials in the exclusive use of hygienic methods among young women (aged 15-24) in urban India. This study attempts to fill this gap by analysing biodemographic, socioeconomic, and geographic differentials in the exclusive use of hygienic methods among these women. We analysed data on 54561 urban women aged 15-24 from National Family Health Survey-5, 2019-21. We used binary logistic regression to examine differentials in the exclusive use of hygienic methods. To examine spatial variation, we mapped exclusive use of hygienic methods across Indian states and districts. The study found that two-thirds of young women in urban India reported exclusive use of hygienic methods. However, there was significant geographic heterogeneity observed at both state and district levels. In states such as Mizoram and Tamil Nadu, the use of hygienic methods was over 90%, while in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Manipur, it was less than 50%. The district-level variation in exclusive use of hygienic methods was even more striking. In many states, districts with extremely low exclusive use (less than 30%) were located in close proximity to districts with high exclusive use. Being poor, uneducated, Muslim, having no mass media exposure, living in the north and central regions, not having a mobile phone, getting married before 18, and having an early experience of menarche were associated with lower exclusive use of hygienic methods. In conclusion, substantial biodemographic, socioeconomic, and geographic differentials in the exclusive use of hygienic methods suggest the need for context-specific behavioural interventions. Mass media campaigns and targeted distribution of subsidized hygienic methods could help reduce the existing inequities in the exclusive use of hygienic methods.
在印度城市地区,女性的经期卫生是一个关键的公共卫生问题,但对其研究仍然不足。然而,据我们所知,印度尚未有国家级研究探讨过印度城市地区年轻女性(15 - 24岁)在单纯使用卫生用品方面的差异。本研究试图通过分析这些女性在单纯使用卫生用品方面的生物人口学、社会经济和地理差异来填补这一空白。我们分析了2019 - 2021年第五轮全国家庭健康调查中54561名15 - 24岁城市女性的数据。我们使用二元逻辑回归来研究单纯使用卫生用品方面的差异。为了研究空间差异,我们绘制了印度各邦和地区单纯使用卫生用品的情况。研究发现印度城市地区三分之二的年轻女性报告单纯使用卫生用品。然而,在邦和地区层面都观察到了显著的地理异质性。在米佐拉姆邦和泰米尔纳德邦等邦,卫生用品的使用率超过90%,而在北方邦、比哈尔邦、恰蒂斯加尔邦和曼尼普尔邦,这一比例不到50%。单纯使用卫生用品在地区层面的差异更为显著。在许多邦,单纯使用率极低(低于30%)的地区与单纯使用率高的地区相邻。贫困、未受过教育、穆斯林、没有接触过大众媒体、生活在北部和中部地区、没有手机、18岁前结婚以及初潮较早与单纯使用卫生用品的比例较低有关。总之,在单纯使用卫生用品方面存在显著的生物人口学、社会经济和地理差异,这表明需要针对具体情况的行为干预措施。大众媒体宣传活动和有针对性地分发补贴卫生用品有助于减少在单纯使用卫生用品方面现有的不平等现象。