Puberty Experiences of Low-Income Girls in the United States: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Literature From 2000 to 2014

Herbert, Ann; Ramírez, Adrián; Lee, Grace; North, S.; Askari, Melanie S.; West, Rebecca; Sommer, Marni

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.10.008

Cited by 50 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Research has identified deficiencies in both puberty content and instructional approach (e.g., Koch, Robbins, Porter, & Gyorke, ), and surveys suggest that some youth, especially boys, do not receive puberty education prior to puberty (Omar, McElderry, & Zakharia, ). A recent review of qualitative studies of puberty experiences among low‐income girls in the United States revealed a lack of preparation for puberty and negative experiences related to menarche and menstruation, suggesting that deficiencies in puberty education persist for many girls as well (Herbert et al., ). Research is needed to determine gaps in puberty education in the population as a whole. Program evaluation .…”

Section: Recommendations For Research Programs and Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To improve puberty education programs, further research is needed on the pubertal experiences of adolescents from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds and their implications for health. The recent review of qualitative research on puberty experiences in low‐income girls (Herbert et al., ) is an important start, but quantitative studies with representative samples are needed to confirm the findings and extend them to boys and to racial/ethnic minority youth from higher income families. Sexual minority and transgender youth . More research is needed on the responses of LGBTQ youth to puberty education programs and how programs could be improved to better suit their needs.…”

Section: Recommendations For Research Programs and Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Puberty Education in a Global Context: Knowledge Gaps, Opportunities, and Implications for Policy

Crockett

Deardorff

Johnson

et al. 2019

J of Research on Adolesc

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Youth programs and policies provide opportunities for institutions and societies to support healthy adolescent development. Puberty education programs are universally important, as they provide crucial knowledge and skills to help youth and their caregivers navigate the physical, emotional, and interpersonal changes of puberty with positive outcomes. However, few puberty programs have been rigorously evaluated, resulting in a lack of evidence-based knowledge and practice in this area. This review examines the status of research on puberty education and related programs and draws on the broader intervention literature and recent research findings on adolescence to identify program features that might improve program effectiveness. Implications for policy are also discussed. The need for rigorous program evaluation is emphasized throughout.

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Section: Recommendations For Research Programs and Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Recommendations For Research Programs and Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Puberty Education in a Global Context: Knowledge Gaps, Opportunities, and Implications for Policy

Crockett

Deardorff

Johnson

et al. 2019

J of Research on Adolesc

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“…However, there are an increasing number of laws and policies related to the provision of menstrual products both domestically and globally, which will require critical analysis and evaluation of uptake and impact ( 26 , 28 ). Notably, while our review found no courses within Health Promotion and Communication that included menstruation, there is a critical need for improved puberty education and menstrual health promotion within the US and globally ( 24 , 31 ). It is possible that health promotion and communication content was included as part of the coursework for the areas of specialization with menstruation-related courses; however, it was not evident within the content of the reviewed courses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…For instance, while the review found no courses with related content within Minority Health and Health Disparities, there are many important areas for exploration. For example, African-American girls experience menarche at a younger age than their White, Hispanic or Asian counterparts, and girls of low socioeconomic status often lack information, education and support about menarche and puberty ( 20 , 24 ). Similarly, our review found no instances in which menstruation-related issues were discussed within Health Policy and Management.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recent research has documented the ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic influences on age of menarche ( 20 ), and how early age of menarche increases girls' vulnerability to depression, substance use, earlier sexual initiation and school dropout ( 21 – 23 ). However, there has been minimal recent public health research on girls' experiences of menarche and menstruation across the US ( 24 ), and the challenges that low-income girls in particular face managing their menstruation in school and daily life. Most menstruation research has been clinical in nature, conducted among older populations, and focusing on fibroids, endometriosis, and other reproductive disorders ( 14 , 25 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Extent to Which Menstruation-Related Issues Are Included in Graduate-Level Public Health Curricula

Sommer

Lee

Liu

et al. 2020

Front. Public Health

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Objectives: Menstruation is increasingly recognized as an issue in domestic and global public health. Public health graduates of U.S. schools of public health must have adequate competencies to address menstruation and its implications for health and well-being in their future endeavors in research, practice and policy. This study sought to understand the extent to which U.S. schools currently integrate menstruation-related content (menstrual health, menstrual hygiene, etc.) and related competencies into their curricula. Methods: We reviewed the course directories of the top 20 US schools of public health as ranked in 2018. Courses were selected based on inclusion of menstruation and adolescent health-related search terms. Syllabi were subsequently obtained and analyzed for inclusion of specific menstruation-related terms. Syllabi including these terms were further analyzed to determine the level of inclusion of menstruation-related topics in relation to public health competencies, and the area of specialization. Results: Of an estimated 5,000 courses assessed, 28 included menstruation-related topics. Most frequently, this inclusion was minimal (e.g., a single reading or assignment), and was limited in scope. Content was typically found within global health, environmental health, and maternal and child health. Conclusions: Given growing attention to menstruation domestically and globally, and the limited current inclusion of this issue in US schools of public health curricula, graduates may not be receiving adequate training on a critically important topic of relevance within population health. Schools should consider reviewing their curricula to assess whether there are opportunities to integrate menstruation-related content in relation to the relevant public health competencies.

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Girls’ attendance at school after a menstrual hygiene intervention in northern Ethiopia

Belay

Kuhlmann

Wall

2020

Intl J Gynecology & Obste

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Objective:To evaluate the effect on school attendance of a menstrual hygiene intervention that distributes educational booklets to school children and menstrual hygiene kits to schoolgirls in northern Ethiopia. Methods:Attendance was tracked for 8839 students in grades 7-12 during the 2015-2016 academic year when the intervention was implemented. Negative binomial regression was used to test whether student sex predicted post-intervention school absences when controlling for grade-level and pre-intervention absences. Similar attendance data were analyzed for 3569 students in grades 7, 9, and 11 for the 2014-2015 academicyear as a historical comparison. Results:Over 12 211 educational booklets were distributed to students and 5991 menstrual hygiene kits were distributed to schoolgirls. After the intervention, girls had 24% fewer school absences than boys. Sex was not a predictor of absences during a similar time-period in the prior school year.Conclusion: This is one of the first large studies to show a positive relationship between a menstrual hygiene intervention and girls' school attendance. These positive results suggest such interventions should be expanded to other schools in northern Ethiopia. Future research should explore whether similar interventions can also decrease the rate at which girls drop out of school around menarche. K E Y W O R D S

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Puberty Experiences of Low-Income Girls in the United States: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Literature From 2000 to 2014

Cited by 50 publications

References 54 publications

Puberty Education in a Global Context: Knowledge Gaps, Opportunities, and Implications for Policy

Puberty Education in a Global Context: Knowledge Gaps, Opportunities, and Implications for Policy

The Extent to Which Menstruation-Related Issues Are Included in Graduate-Level Public Health Curricula

Girls’ attendance at school after a menstrual hygiene intervention in northern Ethiopia

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