Involving boys in Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM): A pilot study
It has been proposed that teaching boys about puberty and menstruation can help to lessen the stigma associated with menstruation and the unfavourable attitudes toward it. To raise an understanding of puberty and promote a more accepting atmosphere for menstruating school girls, a team of researchers created and tested a school-based intervention for both boys and girls.
In order to create the intervention package, the study performed 24 formative in-depth interviews and four group vignette exercises with schoolboys. In order to assess the viability, acceptability, and outcomes of the intervention package among schoolboys and to provide recommendations for scaling up, pre- and postintervention surveys were later undertaken, as well as four more focus group talks.
Boys in their formative years acknowledged having little awareness about puberty but felt that everyone should be educated about it. Boys’ awareness of menstruation increased after the intervention compared to the baseline [PD: 15%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2, 29]. Additionally, it was revealed that more people felt at ease talking about puberty-related topics with friends or in a club at school [PD: 13%; 95% CI: 2, 24]. Boys in focus groups said the courses were instructive and useful. It is possible to create a supportive and girl-friendly climate in schools by involving schoolboys, well-delivered intervention materials, and social and behavior change communication strategies.