EXAMINING THE ACCEPTABILITY THE COULDYOU? MENSTRUAL CUP: A CASE OF INHAMBANE AND MAPUTO PROVINCES

Volume 6, Issue 6, December 2021     |     PP. 448-461      |     PDF (186 K)    |     Pub. Date: October 7, 2021
DOI: 10.54647/cm32623    61 Downloads     4881 Views  

Author(s)

Christine Garde, CouldYou?
Kofi Kyeremateng Nyanteng, CouldYou?
Claudia Nyarko Mensah, Department of Management Education, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi, Ghana.

Abstract
The CouldYou?Girls Health Initiative is sustainably addressing the Menstrual Health Management of rural women and girls in Africa. This initiative was extended to some Inhambane and Maputo provinces in Mozambique. Menstrual cups were distributed to three hundred and fifty-two (352) school girls. This comparative study therefore examined the acceptability based on; willingness to use, convince of use and like or dislike for the menstrual cups. A baseline survey was conducted in June 2019 and a follow up survey done in November 2019 to January 2020. Findings revealed that 309(72.2%) out of 100% of the girls who received the cups reported using them. 261(74.1%) strongly agreed the cup was convenience to use, 77(21.9%) only agreed they were convenient to use and 14(4.0%) had a neutral stance. In Maputo and Inhambane 138(75.0%) and 148(88.1%) respectively liked the cup very well. 140(76.7%) reported they were very willing to use them. In both provinces, 60(17.3%) were willing, 7(2.0%) were neutral and 14(4.0%) were unwilling to use them. Findings reflected that the CouldYou?Cup initiative was successful. The girls had accepted the cup in spite of the few challenges some of the beneficiaries encountered.

Keywords
Menstrual cup; Acceptability; CouldYou?Cup; Intervention; Sanitary pads; Tampons

Cite this paper
Christine Garde, Kofi Kyeremateng Nyanteng, Claudia Nyarko Mensah, EXAMINING THE ACCEPTABILITY THE COULDYOU? MENSTRUAL CUP: A CASE OF INHAMBANE AND MAPUTO PROVINCES , SCIREA Journal of Clinical Medicine. Volume 6, Issue 6, December 2021 | PP. 448-461. 10.54647/cm32623

References

[ 1 ] Bae, J., Kwon, H., & Kim, J. J. S. (2018). Safety evaluation of absorbent hygiene pads: a review on assessment framework and test methods. 10(11), 4146.
[ 2 ] Beksinska, M., Nkosi, P., Zulu, B., Smit, J. J. T. E. J. o. C., & Care, R. H. (2021). Acceptability of the menstrual cup among students in further education institutions in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. 26(1), 11-16.
[ 3 ] Beksinska, M. E., Smit, J., Greener, R., Todd, C. S., Lee, M.-l. T., Maphumulo, V., & Hoffmann, V. J. J. o. W. s. H. (2015). Acceptability and performance of the menstrual cup in South Africa: a randomized crossover trial comparing the menstrual cup to tampons or sanitary pads. 24(2), 151-158.
[ 4 ] Hagander, M., & Velin, S. (2017). Identifying and Addressing the Challenges of Mainstreaming the Menstrual Cup in Uganda.
[ 5 ] Howard, C., Rose, C. L., Trouton, K., Stamm, H., Marentette, D., Kirkpatrick, N., . . . Paget, J. J. C. F. P. (2011). FLOW (finding lasting options for women): multicentre randomized controlled trial comparing tampons with menstrual cups. 57(6), e208-e215.
[ 6 ] Hyttel, M., Thomsen, C. F., Luff, B., Storrusten, H., Nyakato, V. N., & Tellier, M. (2017a). Drivers and challenges to use of menstrual cups among schoolgirls in rural Uganda: a qualitative study. Waterlines, 36(2), 109-124.
[ 7 ] Hyttel, M., Thomsen, C. F., Luff, B., Storrusten, H., Nyakato, V. N., & Tellier, M. J. W. (2017b). Drivers and challenges to use of menstrual cups among schoolgirls in rural Uganda: a qualitative study. 109-124.
[ 8 ] Johnston-Robledo, I., & Chrisler, J. C. J. S. r. (2013). The menstrual mark: Menstruation as social stigma. 68(1), 9-18.
[ 9 ] Juma, J., Nyothach, E., Laserson, K. F., Oduor, C., Arita, L., Ouma, C., . . . Alexander, K. T. J. B. o. (2017). Examining the safety of menstrual cups among rural primary school girls in western Kenya: observational studies nested in a randomised controlled feasibility study. 7(4), e015429.
[ 10 ] Kakani, C., & Bhatt, J. K. J. I. J. R. C. O. G. (2017). Study of adaptability and efficacy of menstrual cup in managing menstrual health and hygiene. 6(7), 3045-3053.
[ 11 ] Lin, N., Ding, N., Meza-Wilson, E., Devasurendra, A. M., Godwin, C., Park, S. K., & Batterman, S. J. E. I. (2020). Volatile organic compounds in feminine hygiene products sold in the US market: A survey of products and health risks. 144, 105740.
[ 12 ] Mason, L., Laserson, K. F., Oruko, K., Nyothach, E., Alexander, K. T., Odhiambo, F. O., . . . OMOTO, J. J. W. (2015). Adolescent schoolgirls' experiences of menstrual cups and pads in rural western Kenya: a qualitative study. 15-30.
[ 13 ] Mason, L., Nyothach, E., Van Eijk, A. M., Obor, D., Alexander, K. T., Ngere, I., . . . Gynecology. (2019). Comparing use and acceptability of menstrual cups and sanitary pads by schoolgirls in rural Western Kenya. 8(8), 2974.
[ 14 ] Mitchell, M. A., Bisch, S., Arntfield, S., Hosseini-Moghaddam, S. M. J. C. J. o. I. D., & Microbiology, M. (2015). A confirmed case of toxic shock syndrome associated with the use of a menstrual cup. 26(4), 218-220.
[ 15 ] Nicole, W. (2014). A question for women's health: chemicals in feminine hygiene products and personal lubricants: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
[ 16 ] North, B. B., & Oldham, M. J. J. J. o. W. s. H. (2011). Preclinical, clinical, and over-the-counter postmarketing experience with a new vaginal cup: menstrual collection. 20(2), 303-311.
[ 17 ] Park, C. J., Barakat, R., Ulanov, A., Li, Z., Lin, P.-C., Chiu, K., . . . Ko, C. J. (2019). Sanitary pads and diapers contain higher phthalate contents than those in common commercial plastic products. Reproductive Toxicology, 84, 114-121.
[ 18 ] Phillips-Howard, P. A., Nyothach, E., ter Kuile, F. O., Omoto, J., Wang, D., Zeh, C., . . . Laserson, K. F. (2016). Menstrual cups and sanitary pads to reduce school attrition, and sexually transmitted and reproductive tract infections: a cluster randomised controlled feasibility study in rural Western Kenya. BMJ Open, 6(11), e013229.
[ 19 ] Pokhrel, D., Bhattarai, S., Emgård, M., von Schickfus, M., Forsberg, B. C., & Biermann, O. (2021). Acceptability and feasibility of using vaginal menstrual cups among schoolgirls in rural Nepal: a qualitative pilot study. Reproductive Health, 18(1), 20.
[ 20 ] Stewart, K., Greer, R., Powell, M. J. J. o. O., & Gynaecology. (2010). Women's experience of using the Mooncup. 30(3), 285-287.
[ 21 ] van Eijk, A. M., Zulaika, G., Lenchner, M., Mason, L., Sivakami, M., Nyothach, E., . . . Phillips-Howard, P. A. (2019). Menstrual cup use, leakage, acceptability, safety, and availability: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health, 4(8), e376-e393.