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Cost-Effectiveness and Cost–Benefit Analyses of Providing Menstrual Cups and Sanitary Pads to Schoolgirls in Rural Kenya
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relative value of providing menstrual cups and sanitary pads to primary schoolgirls. DESIGN: Cost-effectiveness and cost–benefit analyses of three-arm single-site open cluster randomized controlled pilot study providing menstrual cups or sanitary pads for 1 year. PARTICIPAN...
Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
2022
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9518800/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36185073 http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/whr.2021.0131 |
Sumario: | OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relative value of providing menstrual cups and sanitary pads to primary schoolgirls. DESIGN: Cost-effectiveness and cost–benefit analyses of three-arm single-site open cluster randomized controlled pilot study providing menstrual cups or sanitary pads for 1 year. PARTICIPANTS: Girls 14–16 years of age enrolled across 30 primary schools in rural western Kenya. METHODS: Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted based on the health effects (reductions in disability-adjusted life years [DALYs]) and education effects (reductions in school absenteeism) of both interventions. The health and education benefits were separately valued and compared with relative program costs. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the cost of menstrual cups was estimated at $3,270 per year for 1000 girls, compared with $24,000 for sanitary pads. The benefit of the menstrual cup program (1.4 DALYs averted, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −4.3 to 3.1) was higher compared with a sanitary pad program (0.48 DALYs averted, 95% CI: −4.2 to 2.3), but the health effects of both interventions were not statistically significant likely due to the limited statistical power. Using point estimates, the menstrual cup intervention was cost-effective in improving health outcomes ($2,300/DALY averted). The sanitary pad intervention had a cost-effectiveness of $300/student-school year in reducing school absenteeism. When considering improvements in future earnings from reduced absenteeism, the sanitary pad program had a net benefit of +$68,000 (95% CI: −$32,000 to +$169,000). CONCLUSIONS: The menstrual cup may provide a cost-effective solution for menstrual hygiene management in low-income settings. This study outlines a methodology for future analyses of menstrual hygiene interventions and highlights several knowledge gaps that need to be addressed. Trial registration: ISRCTN17486946. |
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