sanitary pad interventions for girls education in ghana a pilot study卫生巾对女童教育干预在加纳一个试点研究.pdfVIP

Sanitary Pad Interventions for Girls’ Education in Ghana: A Pilot Study 1 2 2 2 2 Paul Montgomery *, Caitlin R. Ryus , Catherine S. Dolan , Sue Dopson , Linda M. Scott 1 Centre for Evidence Based Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, 2 Said Business School, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom Abstract Background: Increased education of girls in developing contexts is associated with a number of important positive health, social, and economic outcomes for a community. The event of menarche tends to coincide with girls’ transitions from primary to secondary education and may constitute a barrier for continued school attendance and performance. Following the MRC Framework for Complex Interventions, a pilot controlled study was conducted in Ghana to assess the role of sanitary pads in girls’ education. Methods: A sample of 120 schoolgirls between the ages of 12 and 18 from four villages in Ghana participated in a non- randomized trial of sanitary pad provision with education. The trial had three levels of treatment: provision of pads with puberty education; puberty education alone; or control (no pads or education). The primary outcome was school attendance. Results: After 3 months, providing pads with education significantly improved attendance among participants, (lambda 0.824, F = 3.760, p,.001). After 5 months, puberty education alone improved attendance to a similar level (M = 91.26, SD = 7.82) as sites where pads were provided with puberty education (Rural M = 89.74, SD = 9.34; Periurban M = 90.54, SD = 17.37), all of which were higher than control (M = 84.48, S