The Impact of Health Education Intervention on Perceptions of Menstrual Cup Amongst College Going Female Students in Peri – Urban Bangalore
Authors: Varghese Jilshy , James Ciril , Binu Diya Mary , RegyRegy Minitta Maria , Fathima Farah Naaz , Johnson Avita Rose 
Published: July 2024

Background Menstrual Cups are sustainable menstrual hygiene products that are reusable, affordable, compatible with physical activities, and can be used for longer durations of time. Due to their inadequate promotion and the existing popularity of sanitary napkins, even educated menstruators often remain unaware about the advantages of Menstrual Cups. It is imperative that awareness is created about them amongst young menstruators. Objective: To assess the impact of health educational intervention on perceptions of Menstrual Cup usage among female students enrolled in a degree college in urban Bangalore, India. Methods Am interventional study was conducted from September 2021 to March 2022 amongst female students studying in a degree college in urban Bangalore. A pre-designed, face validated questionnaire was administered to the students to assess their perceptions, which was followed by a health educational intervention. The subjects were followed up after a one- month period, to assess the impact of the health education on their overall attitude and awareness regarding Menstrual Cups. Results Among the 83 study participants with mean age 19.5+0.95 years post intervention, a 42% increase in the total awareness score and a 35% increase in total attitude score towards the usage of Menstrual Cups was found to be present. Following intervention, 36.1% of participants considered Menstrual cups to be better than Sanitary napkins and a 27.7% reduction was noted in terms of the apprehension regarding Menstrual Cup usage, due to pain and discomfort, which was a prevalent false notion prior to the intervention. Discussion Menstruation is a physiological process that requires due attention, as it is linked with various social factors that may influence the perceptions of young menstruators and affect the ways in which adults in the communities around them respond to their needs. Therefore, an increased international attention has been given on enlightening adolescent girls in lower and middle income countries, regarding knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices surrounding menarche, menstrual hygiene and menstrual health through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This is to help guide the future design of relevant policies and programming with respect to Menstrual health. In the present study, maximum participants belonged to the late adolescent period (18-20 years). In the past, the maximum number of studies which proved to be effective in improving awareness and attitude regarding menstrual health were done amongst adolescent girls. In terms of knowledge about menstrual cups, even though a substantial number of participants were already aware about menstrual cups we found that, relatively there was a better understanding regarding the advantages of menstrual cups amongst the students in our study which could be attributed to the inclusion of biological sciences in their academic curriculum. Also, easy access to the internet and smartphones and exposure to advertisements about menstrual cups in social media could have contributed to the increased knowledge regarding the same. In similar views, a study done in Haryana reported that the internet was one of the main sources of information among school going adolescent girls. Hence, we feel that social media platforms can also be used as a strong medium for creating awareness campaigns regarding menstrual cups, their usage and advantages. Our findings post intervention highlighted the need for further educational sessions regarding menstrual health and family planning which could be included as part of academic curriculums in schools and colleges, and delivered with the help of trained personnel such as school teachers or counsellors to ensure that the right information is being conveyed to them. The public health significance of our study is that through health educational interventions about menstrual cups at a college level amongst young women, there would be an improvement in the overall awareness and attitude towards menstrual cups, thus increasing its practice in the coming future. This can improve the quality of life of young women and help curb plastic pollution caused by sanitary napkins and tampons. This study also gives an insight into the beliefs, concerns and knowledge of women from a peri urban community about Menstrual cups. Conclusion A significant improvement was noticed in terms of the overall awareness about the advantages, misconceptions, and the attitude towards the usage of Menstrual cups following the health educational intervention.