Period poverty and mental health implications among college-aged women in the United States

被引:87
作者
Cardoso, Lauren F. [1 ]
Scolese, Anna M. [2 ]
Hamidaddin, Alzahra [2 ]
Gupta, Jhumka [2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Penn, Sch Social Policy & Practice, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
[2] George Mason Univ, Coll Hlth & Human Serv, Dept Global & Community Hlth, 4400 Univ Dr, Fairfax, VA 22030 USA
关键词
Menstruation; Period poverty; Menstrual health; Sanitary products; Mental health;
D O I
10.1186/s12905-020-01149-5
中图分类号
R1 [预防医学、卫生学];
学科分类号
1004 ; 120402 ;
摘要
BackgroundThe purpose of this study is to examine the frequency of "period poverty," or not being able to afford sanitary products, among university students, and associations with poor mental health.MethodsAn online survey was conducted with a nationally-drawn sample (N=471) of college-attending women to assess the association between period poverty and depression. Period poverty was measured via two questions designed for this study; depression was measured with the standard PHQ-9. Multivariable logistic regression was utilized for analysis.ResultsAmong our sample, 14.2% of women had experienced period poverty ever in the past-year; an additional 10% experienced it every month. Compared to those who had never experienced period poverty, adjusted analysis revealed that women with monthly past-year period poverty were the most likely to report moderate/severe depression (AOR=2.34, 95% CI 1.09-4.99), followed by those who had experienced it ever in the past year (AOR=1.83, 95% CI, 0.99-3.38).ConclusionMany young women cannot afford menstrual health products to meet their monthly needs, and this may impact their mental well-being. Improved access to affordable menstrual products is needed to support these young women.
引用
收藏
页数:7
相关论文
共 25 条
[1]  
American College Health Association National College Health Assessment, 2018, SPRING 2018 REF GROU
[2]  
[Anonymous], 2011, NAT COLL HLTH ASS
[3]  
[Anonymous], 2019, Boston Globe
[4]   Housing instability and health: Findings from the Michigan recession and recovery study [J].
Burgard, Sarah A. ;
Seefeldt, Kristin S. ;
Zelner, Sarah .
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE, 2012, 75 (12) :2215-2224
[5]  
Cataldi E.F., 2018, First-Generation Students: College Access, Persistence
[6]   Food insecurity prevalence among college students at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa [J].
Chaparro, M. Pia ;
Zaghloul, Sahar S. ;
Holck, Peter ;
Dobbs, Joannie .
PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION, 2009, 12 (11) :2097-2103
[7]  
Goldrick-Rab S., 2019, COLL U BASIC NEEDS I, DOI DOI 10.1002/9780470682531.PAT0967
[8]   Food Insecurity And Health Outcomes [J].
Gundersen, Craig ;
Ziliak, James P. .
HEALTH AFFAIRS, 2015, 34 (11) :1830-1839
[9]   Food insufficiency and women's mental health: Findings from a 3-year panel of welfare recipients [J].
Heflin, CM ;
Siefert, K ;
Williams, DR .
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE, 2005, 61 (09) :1971-1982
[10]  
International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research B WaterAid Bangladesh Ministry of Local Government Rural Development and Cooperatives, 2014, Bangladesh national hygiene baseline survey: Technical report