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Prof Helen Weiss
+44 (0)207927 2087
helen.weiss@lshtm.ac.uk


More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.

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Be Part of Research - Trial Details - Menstrual health interventions to improve education and health outcomes among Ugandan students
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Menstrual health interventions to improve education and health outcomes among Ugandan students

Not Recruiting

Open to: All Genders

Age: Child

Entebbe

Medical Conditions

Menstrual health and education, health and well-being outcomes

This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.


Many girls lack basic knowledge, facilities and/or materials for managing menstruation safely and with dignity. Improving menstrual health can lead to sustained long-term benefits to education, health and development. Many governmental and non-governmental organisations are interested in introducing interventions to improve menstrual health, including the UK Government Period Poverty Taskforce. However, there is a lack of evidence to guide policies and ensure interventions are effective.
Researchers have completed formative studies showing that poor menstrual health is a key factor associated with anxiety among girls and with missing secondary school or class in Wakiso District, Uganda. An effective intervention needs to address lack of knowledge of puberty and menstruation and the social environment (to reduce stigma), as well as practical methods to enable girls to better manage her periods (i.e. pad provision, education about effective pain management, and improvements to school toilet facilities). Studies suggest that an intervention addressing these elements can potentially improve education and mental health outcomes, but a randomised controlled trial is needed for definitive results to drive forward policy changes. The aim of this study is to assess whether the intervention (MENISCUS) improves educational attainment, mental health symptoms, menstrual management and quality of life outcomes among girls in secondary school in Uganda.

Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.  

The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:

01 Mar 2022 31 Mar 2023

Publications

2022 Protocol article in https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36071530/ (added 08/09/2022)

About 60 schools will be randomly allocated so that half receive the MENISCUS intervention in 2022 and the other half receive optimised usual care (provision of Government Menstrual Health guidelines and other relevant printed materials). The outcomes will be compared in secondary students between the two groups after 1 year, adjusting for baseline measures.
The primary outcomes are examination performance based on the curriculum taught during the intervention year; and mental health symptoms including emotional symptoms, attention and peer relationship problems. The researchers will also assess the impact of the intervention on other outcomes including (in both girls and boys) menstrual knowledge and attitudes; and (in girls only) menstrual practices (correct use of pads and/or menstrual cups), knowledge and management of pain outcomes, self-efficacy (stigma and embarrassment around menstruation), quality of life, the prevalence of urogenital infections and school and class attendance. The main outcomes will be assessed in all students who were exposed to the intervention in Secondary 2. Attendance will be assessed in a sub-group of about 1500 girls.
The intervention has been designed to be culturally appropriate, aligned with Government guidelines, cost-effective, environmentally friendly and practically sustainable within the schools. The researchers will assess these elements through a process evaluation, health economics component and policy analysis.
At the end of the study, the schools in the control group will be offered the intervention package.


Secondary 1 students (mean age 15 years) in about 60 eligible secondary schools in Wakiso and Kalungu Districts in Uganda.

You can take part if:



You may not be able to take part if:


There are no secondary outcome measures


Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.

The benefits include improved self-efficacy to manage menstrual health. Risks include possible embarrassment in answering questions about genital symptoms or being asked to self-collect vaginal swabs. Participants will have an option to use a menstrual cup and may feel discomfort when inserting and removing the cup, and wrong placement may cause soreness until the participant becomes proficient in use.

Prof Helen Weiss
+44 (0)207927 2087
helen.weiss@lshtm.ac.uk



More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.


The study is sponsored by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and funded by Medical Research Council; Wellcome Trust; National Institute for Health Research; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.



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Read full details for Trial ID: ISRCTN45461276
Last updated 28 November 2023

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