Chaupadi during menstruation still a major community health challenge: perspective from Mid-Western Nepal

Parajuli, Surya Bahadur; Kc, Heera; Mishra, Anjali; Bhattarai, Praveen; Shrestha, Menuka; Srivastav, Kundan

doi:10.3126/bibechana.v16i0.21645

Cited by 9 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The number of participants ranged from 88 to 672 in the surveys. Among the studies using mixed methods (Amatya et al, 2018; Gautam, 2017; Joshi, 2015; Pandit et al, 2021; Parajuli et al, 2018; Thakuri et al, 2021; Thomson et al, 2019), interviews and focus group discussions were used to triangulate the survey. Studies using qualitative methods (Baumann, Merante, et al, 2021; Baumann, Lhaki, et al, 2021; Joshi & Maharjan, 2021; Karki & Khadka, 2019a; Khadka, 2020; Thapa et al, 2019; Wong, 2018) elicited more nuanced information on the underlying phenomena and provided critical, detailed information regarding chhaupadi .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chhaupadi practice in Nepal: A literature review

Joshi

2022

World Med & Health Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chhaupadi is a cultural practice where women are considered untouchable and forced to stay in separate huts during menstruation and child‐birth. There is limited evidence on the practice's causes and effects, and the objective of the current systematic literature review is to fill this important gap. The studies included in the review (n = 18) capture the experiences of women in far‐ and mid‐west districts in Nepal. Despite chhaupadi's criminalization by the government, 70%–80% of women in western Nepal are forced to practice it. The primary concern of the practicing women is safety. The practice is rooted in religious norms that consider menstruating women impure. Communities enforce chhaupadi by creating an environment of fear, telling women that if they do not follow the restrictions, bad things would happen to their families. A few studies examined the health implications of staying in chhaupadi huts and found negative effects. However, additional research is needed in a number of areas including on how the practice—including having to share sleeping quarters with animals—affects women and children's physical and mental health, childbirth experience, and post‐natal care, and how women are navigating the path between the community that forces them to practice chhaupadi and criminalization of the practice by the state.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chhaupadi practice in Nepal: A literature review

Joshi

2022

World Med & Health Policy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Six papers reported on age in association with menarche, dysmenorrhea, irregular menstrual bleeding and sanitary pad use [ 18 , 23 , 24 , 30 , 32 , 34 ]. Liu et al (2016) reported that the median age for women with dysmenorrhea was 26 years and with irregular menstrual bleeding was 34 years [ 19 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Three studies reported that women and girls mostly received information on menstruation from their mothers and friends [ 23 , 30 , 35 ]. The information received included restrictions and impurity associated with menstruation, cramps, how to sit to avoid stains, and how to fold and clean menstrual cloths.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thirteen studies reported on various culturally restrictive practices faced by women and girls during menstruation [ 6 , 8 , 20 , 21 , 23 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 , 32 – 35 ]. Restrictions include abstaining from going to the kitchen, prayer rooms and temples, eating certain foods, taking a bath and touching men including their husbands, not attending school and living outside the house in seclusion (i.e.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Systematic review of menstrual health and hygiene in Nepal employing a social ecological model

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Menstrual health and hygiene are a major public health and social issues in Nepal. Due to inadequate infrastructure to provide education, healthcare, and communication as well as religious teachings, women and girls are excluded from participation in many activities of daily living and community activities during menstruation. Evidence based research addressing menstrual health and hygiene in Nepal is scares. The objective of this paper is to review the current state of knowledge on menstrual health and hygiene in Nepal through a socio-ecological perspective. This systematic review identifies knowledge gaps and targets for future research and interventions. Studies from Nepal that examined factors contributing to menstrual health and hygiene were identified through searches across six databases (Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsychInfo, Nepal Journals Online and Kathmandu University Medical Journal) in January 2019. The SEM is a public health framework that describes how health is impacted at multiple levels including the individual, interpersonal, community, organizational and policy levels. Key themes were identified, and factors contributing to menstrual health and hygiene were categorized as per the level of socio-ecological model (SEM). After a comprehensive literature review, twenty peer-reviewed publications, published between 2003 and January 2019 were included in this review. Eighteen studies were descriptive and two were interventional. The main outcomes reported were reproductive health concerns and menstrual hygiene practices. Nine studies focused on knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding menstruation, seven studies highlighted reproductive health issues, three studies focused on prevalence of culturally restrictive practices, and one on school absenteeism and intimate partner violence. Lack of awareness regarding menstrual health and hygiene, inadequate WASH facilities, no sex education and culturally restrictive practices makes menstruation a challenge for Nepali women. These challenges have negative implications on women and girls’ reproductive as well as mental health and school attendance among adolescent girls. There are gaps in the evidence for high quality interventions to improve menstrual health and hygiene in Nepal. Future research and interventions should address needs identified at all levels of the SEM.

show abstract

“…The practice has been described in greater detail elsewhere [25][26][27][28][29]. Briefly, the practice is rooted in patriarchy and Hindu mythology that considers women impure, thus untouchable, during menstruation and childbirth.…”

Section: Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s Seclusion during Menstruation and Children’s Health in Nepal

Joshi

Acharya

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives. There is limited empirical evidence from low-income countries on the effects of women’s seclusion during menstruation on children’s health. We documented the association between mother’s extreme seclusion during menstruation and children’s health in Nepal. Methods. Using nationally representative data from the 2019 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, we examined the relationship between mother’s exposure to extreme forms of seclusion during menstruation and anthropometric measures of nutritional status and health outcomes among children ages 5-59 months (n=6,301). We analyzed the data in a regression framework, controlling for potential confounders, including province fixed effects. We assessed extreme seclusion during menstruation based on women’s exposure to chhaupadi, a practice in which women are forced to stay away from home—in separate huts or animal sheds—during menstruation and childbirth. Results. Mothers’ exposure to extreme seclusion during menstruation was associated with 0.18 standard deviation lower height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) (p=0.046) and 0.20 standard deviation lower weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) (p=0.007) among children. Analysis by the place of seclusion showed that the negative association was stronger when women stayed in animal sheds—0.28 SD for HAZ (p=0.007) and 0.32 SD for WAZ (p<0.001)—than when they stayed in separate huts. Extreme seclusion was associated with higher incidence of acute respiratory symptoms but not with incidence of diarrhea, irrespective of the place of seclusion. Conclusion. Women’s extreme seclusion during menstruation in Nepal has profound implications on the physical health of their children. Additional research is needed to ascertain potential mechanisms.

show abstract

Chaupadi during menstruation still a major community health challenge: perspective from Mid-Western Nepal

Cited by 9 publications

References 11 publications

Chhaupadi practice in Nepal: A literature review

Chhaupadi practice in Nepal: A literature review

Systematic review of menstrual health and hygiene in Nepal employing a social ecological model

Women’s Seclusion during Menstruation and Children’s Health in Nepal

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About