Over 56% of women aged 15-24 continue to use cloth
Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 28
The percentage of women using hygienic method of protection during menstrual cycle in Nagaland has increased considerably in the past five years, though 56.7% still continue to use ‘cloth’ as an additional protection method.
As Nagaland joined the rest of the world in observing Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, The Morung Express presents a glimpse into the hygienic methods of menstrual protection as reflected in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). The full report of the latest survey (NFHS-5, 2019–21) was released recently.
The theme for 2022 was 'making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030' with the goal to build a ‘world where no one is held back because they menstruate by 2030.’
In the NFHS-5, among others young women aged 15-24 were asked what method(s) they use for menstrual protection, if anything. “Using a hygienic method of menstrual protection is important for women’s health and personal hygiene,” it said.
Protection improves, but concern remains
As per the NFHS-5, overall, 80.6% of women aged 15-24 in Nagaland use a hygienic method of menstrual protection, showing an increase from 73% in NFHS-4, conducted in 2015-16.
At the national level, 77.6% of respondents reported using hygienic menstrual sanitation.
The NFHS-5 categorised locally prepared napkins, sanitary napkins, tampons, and menstrual cup as hygienic methods of protection.
In terms of method of protection used, 78% of women in Nagaland reported using sanitary napkins, while 3.5 % reported used locally prepared napkins, while a marginal 0.2% and 0.7% respectively used menstrual cup and others.
Notably, 77% of rural women use a hygienic method of menstrual protection, compared with 88% of urban women, the report noted.
However, as per the NFHS-5, a total of 56.7% reported that they still use ‘cloth’ for menstrual protection, higher than the all-India average of 49.6%.
In India, 64% used sanitary napkins, 50% used cloth, and 15 % use locally prepared napkins. Overall, 78% of women in this age group use a hygienic method of menstrual protection
The report also noted that women with 12 or more years of schooling are more than twice as likely to be using a hygienic method as women with no schooling both in Nagaland and at national level.
In Nagaland, 87.5% of those with 12 or more years of schooling reported using sanitary napkins as against 47.2% with no schooling.
Conversely, while only 43% of women with 12 or more years of schooling reported using cloth as protective method, a total of 72.3% of those with schooling reported using the same.
Usage of hygienic method was 90.5% with schooling against 50.9% with no schooling.
Nationally, women with 12 or more years of schooling are more than twice as likely to be using a hygienic method as women with no schooling (90% versus 44%).
A total of 73% nationally use a hygienic method of menstrual protection, compared with 90% of urban women. The lowest percentage of women using a hygienic method of menstrual protection was in Bihar (59%), Madhya Pradesh (61%), and Meghalaya (65%).
Among the States and Union Territories (UTs), Puducherry reported highest percentage of women using a hygienic at 99.1%, followed by Tamil Nadu (98.4), and Lakshadweep (98.3)
Among the North-East States, Arunachal Pradesh reported highest percentage at 92%, followed by Mizoram at 91% and 86.3% in Sikkim.
Taboo subsiding?
Meanwhile, overall, 96% of women in urban areas and 91% of women in rural areas take a bath during their menstrual period in the same bathroom where other household members take a bath, the report said.
Again, 90% or more take a bath in the same bathroom used by other household members, except in Odisha (72%), West Bengal and Tripura (75% each), Tamil Nadu (85%), Puducherry, Gujarat, and Assam (88% each), and Meghalaya (89%).
In Nagaland, 94% of the respondents informed of taking bath during their menstrual period, while nearly 100% of them reported taking bath in the same bathroom used by other household members, indicating lack of social taboos.
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFA), the Menstrual Hygiene Day is observed on May 28, because menstrual cycles average 28 days in length and people menstruate an average of five days each month. (May is the fifth month of the year).
“It is meant to advance menstruation as a biological process so that people can menstruate without being cast out or missing out, without feeling fear or shame and without being treated like less or exposed to more vulnerabilities. It also raises awareness of period poverty, or the inability to afford the menstrual supplies needed to manage health and hygiene with dignity.”
