Menstrual hygiene management in Kasese, Uganda

Elisabeth Guerry studied on the Master of Public Health (MPH) programme at ScHARR, 2012-2013. Elisabeth opted to take a year out of her undergraduate medical degree to study on the MPH programme. She is currently completing her medical studies.



The title of Elisabeth's MPH dissertation project was 'Does poor menstrual hygiene management contribute to school girls’ absenteeism in Kasese, Uganda?' The project involved a placement in Uganda working with a Sheffield-based charity called Irise International.

The main findings of Elisabeth's research were that for girls in Kasese, the mean number of school days missed each month due to menstruation  was 1.3. Girls were using mainly cloth / towel to manage their menstruation and issues arose when trying to clean and reuse such products. In addition to poor supply of sanitary products, water and sanitation facilities and a lack of pain management also contributed to school absenteeism.

Click on this link to read more about Elisabeth's research.