Assessment of Menstruation-Associated Absenteeism Among School Girls in Jalingo: Cost-Effective Interventions for Resource-Constrained Settings

Abstract

: Grave concerns have been raised about the limitations that inadequate menstrual hygiene management (MHM) imposes on girls, especially in developing countries. This study follows up on the previous work on the subject done in Jalingo, Nigeria by Nnennaya et al , but specifically on menstruation-associated school absenteeism and its impact on academic output. Data extraction was done on the responses generated by Nnennaya et al ; re-adapted for variables reflective of school absenteeism; subjected to content and comparative analyses; and extrapolated to quantify school absenteeism and its impact on academic output. Appropriate remedial interventions were deduced. Menstruation-associated absenteeism led to a loss of 20% of active school-days and 13.06% decline in school-based productivity. Excuses from class to attend to MHM needs resulted to a loss of 12.5% of active class-hours/day, a loss of 3 man-hours/month, and a decline of 0.86% in school-based productivity. Menstruation-associated absenteeism imposed on girls a disadvantage in academic performance of 2.9 – 5.5% compared to boys. These losses combined with other social pressures of MHM to nudge many girls to drop out of school. Menstruation-associated school absenteeism among adolescent school girls in Jalingo was high, affected their academic performance adversely and predisposed the girls towards school drop-out. Sustainable remedies in such high resource-constrained setting include: extensive enlightenment, counseling and demonstration sessions on MHM; promoting universal access to free reusable sanitary pads; and provision of affordable OB14-CLCA type latrines in schools.