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Table 2 Management of menstruation among 351 girls who had passed menarche

From: Menstrual health and school absenteeism among adolescent girls in Uganda (MENISCUS): a feasibility study

Characteristic

Government low SES

Government high SES

Private low SES

Private high SES

All schools

N

165

80

54

52

351

Protection used during last period

 Disposable manufactured pads

142 (86.1%)

69 (86.3%)

47 (85.5%)

47 (90.4%)

305 (86.7%)

 Tampons

7 (4.2%)

5 (6.3%)

1 (1.8%)

3 (5.7%)

16 (4.6%)

 Locally-made manufactured re-usable pads

27 (16.4%)

3 (3.8%)

10 (18.2%)

4 (7.7%)

44 (12.5%)

 Old clothes

31 (18.8%)

5 (6.3%)

7 (12.7%)

1 (1.9%)

44 (12.5%)

 Toilet paper

20 (12.1%)

6 (7.5%)

6 (10.9%)

1 (1.9%)

33 (9.4%)

 Cotton wool

26 (15.8%)

6 (7.5%)

8 (14.6%)

1 (1.9%)

41 (11.7%)

 Underwear only

16 (9.7%)

6 (6.3%)

8 (14.6%)

1 (1.9%)

30 (8.5%)

Times changed protection per 24 h during last period

 Once

5 (3.1%)

8 (10.3%)

4 (7.4%)

1 (2.0%)

18 (3.3%)

 Twice

45 (28.0%)

31 (39.7%)

23 (42.6%)

12 (24.5%)

111 (32.5%)

 Three times

82 (50.9%)

34 (43.6%)

16 (29.6%)

19 (38.8%)

151 (44.2%)

 Four times

20 (12.4%)

5 (6.4%)

6 (11.1%)

9 (18.4%)

40 (11.7%)

  > =5 times

9 (5.6%)

0 (0%)

5 (9.3%)

8 (16.3%)

22 (6.4%)

Ever had menstrual accident with blood leaking to clothes

 Evera

114 (69.1%)

55 (68.8%)

30 (55.6%)

26 (51.0%)

225 (64.3%)

 During last period

32 (19.5%)

16 (20.3%)

6 (11.1%)

10 (22.2%)

64 (18.7%)

Re-usable/washable protection (i.e. Clothes, reusable pads or other washable protection)

 Use re-usable/washable protectionb

80 (52.0%)

14 (20.3%)

16 (29.6%)

7 (17.5%)

117 (36.9%)

 Wash material water & soapb

75 (93.8%)

13 (92.9%)

15 (93.8%)

6 (85.7%)

109 (93.2%)

 Share materialb,c

5 (6.7%)

3 (23.1%)

4 (25.0%)

0 (0%)

12 (10.3%)

 Dry material outside b,d

20 (25.0%)

3 (21.4%)

5 (31.3%)

5 (71.4%)

41 (23.4%)

Disposable protection

 Ever used disposable pads or tamponse

149 (90.3%)

68 (85.0%)

51 (94.4%)

45 (94.4%)

313 (89.2%)

 Use them every day of perioda, f

109 (73.7%)

56 (82.4%)

35 (70.0%)

39 (92.3%)

239 (77.6%)

 Would try a re-usable pad

127 (85.2%)

39 (59.1%)

37 (72.6%)

31 (70.5%)

234 (75.5%)

Reason for choosing disposable padsc

 Less worry about leaksg

124 (84.4%)

48 (75.0%)

26 (51.0%)

35 (79.6%)

233 (76.1%)

 More comfortableh

134 (90.4%)

57 (86.4%)

41 (80.4%)

38 (86.4%)

270 (87.4%)

 Easier disposablei

111 (74.5%)

53 (77.9%)

32 (62.8%)

31 (68.9%)

227 (72.5%)

 No need to wash/dryj

125 (86.2%)

58 (86.6%)

41 (80.4%)

33 (76.7%)

257 (84.0%)

 More modernk

48 (33.8%)

16 (25.8)

12 (23.5%)

13 (32.5%)

89 (30.17%)

  1. aMissing data for 3 participants
  2. bIn general, not in the last period. This includes re-usable pads, old clothes, knickers
  3. cMissing data for 6 participants
  4. dMissing data for 1 participant
  5. eMissing for 4 participants
  6. fAmong those who reported ever using disposable pads or tampons
  7. gMissing for 7 participants
  8. hMissing for 4 participants
  9. iMissing for 11 participants
  10. jMissing for 7 participants
  11. kCloths are viewed as traditional and associated with low income. Missing for 18 participants
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