Traditional menstruation practices among Nepalese women living in Japan

BACKGROUND: Traditional menstruation practices in Nepal (Chhaupadi in Nepalese) lack scientific support and undermine women’s health. This study aimed to understand the changes in the traditional menstruation practices due to migration from Nepal to Japan. METHODS: This study included 104 Nepalese women of reproductive age living in an urban area of western Japan. Participants were recruited using snowball sampling, and the method of data collection was a questionnaire survey. To examine how Nepalese women adapt traditional menstruation practices to their living environment, we compared how women followed frequently 17 traditional practices when they lived in Nepal and later in Japan. We examined the relationships among behavioural changes in traditional practices, education level, and caste. RESULTS: The frequency of 14 of the 17 traditional practices decreased after the women moved to Japan. Among women who reduced the frequency of traditional practices after moving from Nepal to Japan, the reduction was not associated with educational level or caste of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the attitudes towards the traditional menstruation practices change in response to living circumstances. Future studies should focus on determining living environment factors related to behavioural changes in traditional practices.