Socio‑economic Determinants of Menstrual Hygiene Practices among Adolescent Girls: A Rural‑Urban Comparative Study in Bangladesh

Socio‑economic Determinants of Menstrual Hygiene Practices among Adolescent Girls: A Rural‑Urban Comparative Study in Bangladesh | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Socio‑economic Determinants of Menstrual Hygiene Practices among Adolescent Girls: A Rural‑Urban Comparative Study in Bangladesh Ashi Oishwik, Mahbuba Akter Shanta, Md. Al Mamunur Rashid, Shihab Uddin Suman This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9406138/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) remains a critical challenge for adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh, particularly in rural areas where socio-economic and cultural barriers limit access to hygienic products, knowledge, and facilities, adversely affecting health, education, and well-being. This study examines the socio-economic determinants of MHM practices among adolescent girls in rural and urban settings of Narsingdi District, Bangladesh. Methods A cross-sectional quantitative design was used, involving 250 adolescent girls aged 12–19 years (120 rural, 130 urban) selected via simple random sampling. Data were collected through structured face-to-face interviews assessing socio-demographic characteristics, menstrual hygiene practices, knowledge levels, and socio-cultural beliefs. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Chi-Square tests (p < 0.05) were applied using SPSS version 27 to identify associations between socio-economic factors and MHM behaviors. Results Urban girls exhibited significantly better MHM practices than rural counterparts (p < 0.001 for key variables). Sanitary pad usage was higher in urban areas (84.6% vs. 53.3% rural), with urban girls also demonstrating more frequent pad changes (e.g., twice daily: 53.1% vs. 50.8%), safer disposal methods (household waste: 80.0% vs. 55.8%), and fewer cultural restrictions (e.g., avoiding outdoors: 15.4% vs. 42.5%). Maternal literacy and higher socio-economic status were positively associated with improved practices, while rural areas showed greater knowledge gaps and stigma-driven behaviors. Conclusions Socio-economic factors, including maternal literacy and household wealth, significantly influence MHM practices, with urban-rural disparities underscoring structural inequities. Targeted interventions emphasizing education, affordable product access, infrastructure improvements, and stigma reduction are essential to enhance MHM, particularly in rural Bangladesh, supporting Sustainable Development Goal 5 for gender equality. Menstrual hygiene management socio-economic determinants cultural stigma adolescent girls rural-urban disparities Bangladesh Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. The parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) of the adolescent participants provided informed consent for participation in this study. In addition, informed assent was obtained from the participants themselves before data collection. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9406138","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":622430033,"identity":"5f3ca2cf-070e-4df1-b8f6-c655b9f898f6","order_by":0,"name":"Ashi Oishwik","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Noakhali Science and Technology University.","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ashi","middleName":"","lastName":"Oishwik","suffix":""},{"id":622430034,"identity":"e46c68af-71a0-4fed-8371-dd1745f04359","order_by":1,"name":"Mahbuba Akter Shanta","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Noakhali Science and Technology University.","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mahbuba","middleName":"Akter","lastName":"Shanta","suffix":""},{"id":622430035,"identity":"2cf8642f-7a11-452d-84cb-c501ee0e00a4","order_by":2,"name":"Md. Al Mamunur Rashid","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABFElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACdiQ2M4MBMw8bA/MBIFtCBqcWZjQtMnwMbAkgLTxEamFgtpFj4DEAcXBq4W/mTvx0s+1O4vbZhx9/Liiw5mETO/P51Y0aCx4G9sNHN2DRInGYd7N0btuzxDnn0sykZxik87BJ526zzjkGdBhPWtoNbNYc5t0A1HI4cQYPgxkzj8FhsBbjHDagFgkeM2xa5IG2/IZoYf/8GaIl55lxzj/cWgwO826D2sJjIA3Vwvw4tw23FkOgFuucc4eNgVrKgFpAfkkzY87tk+Bhw+EXueO9m2/nlB2WBTps82eeP9b28rOTH3/O+VYnx89++BhW72MDbBJgkljlIMD8gRTVo2AUjIJRMOwBAOHuWN6pQFTnAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3915-1081","institution":"Noakhali Science and Technology University.","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Md.","middleName":"Al Mamunur","lastName":"Rashid","suffix":""},{"id":622430036,"identity":"d6e2de96-7e53-4fa9-92c5-244377648d12","order_by":3,"name":"Shihab Uddin Suman","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Netrokona University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shihab","middleName":"Uddin","lastName":"Suman","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-13 15:38:32","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9406138/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9406138/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":107480722,"identity":"8b8e8be9-0a5d-4b8d-8434-c5c779b54955","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-22 02:13:18","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":525208,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9406138/v1_covered_e1fbe59c-1dca-49ec-bd20-fd7c089244c6.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) of the adolescent participants provided informed consent for participation in this study. In addition, informed assent was obtained from the participants themselves before data collection.\u003c/p\u003e","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSocio‑economic Determinants of Menstrual Hygiene Practices among Adolescent Girls: A Rural‑Urban Comparative Study in Bangladesh\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Menstrual hygiene management, socio-economic determinants, cultural stigma, adolescent girls, rural-urban disparities, Bangladesh","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9406138/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9406138/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eMenstrual hygiene management (MHM) remains a critical challenge for adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh, particularly in rural areas where socio-economic and cultural barriers limit access to hygienic products, knowledge, and facilities, adversely affecting health, education, and well-being. This study examines the socio-economic determinants of MHM practices among adolescent girls in rural and urban settings of Narsingdi District, Bangladesh.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA cross-sectional quantitative design was used, involving 250 adolescent girls aged 12\u0026ndash;19 years (120 rural, 130 urban) selected via simple random sampling. Data were collected through structured face-to-face interviews assessing socio-demographic characteristics, menstrual hygiene practices, knowledge levels, and socio-cultural beliefs. Descriptive statistics and Pearson\u0026rsquo;s Chi-Square tests (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) were applied using SPSS version 27 to identify associations between socio-economic factors and MHM behaviors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eUrban girls exhibited significantly better MHM practices than rural counterparts (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001 for key variables). Sanitary pad usage was higher in urban areas (84.6% vs. 53.3% rural), with urban girls also demonstrating more frequent pad changes (e.g., twice daily: 53.1% vs. 50.8%), safer disposal methods (household waste: 80.0% vs. 55.8%), and fewer cultural restrictions (e.g., avoiding outdoors: 15.4% vs. 42.5%). Maternal literacy and higher socio-economic status were positively associated with improved practices, while rural areas showed greater knowledge gaps and stigma-driven behaviors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocio-economic factors, including maternal literacy and household wealth, significantly influence MHM practices, with urban-rural disparities underscoring structural inequities. Targeted interventions emphasizing education, affordable product access, infrastructure improvements, and stigma reduction are essential to enhance MHM, particularly in rural Bangladesh, supporting Sustainable Development Goal 5 for gender equality.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Socio‑economic Determinants of Menstrual Hygiene Practices among Adolescent Girls: A Rural‑Urban Comparative Study in Bangladesh","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-15 18:10:50","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9406138/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"72801918-55d4-4e46-9ad2-2b3e59817abd","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 15th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-10T05:37:44+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-15 18:10:50","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9406138","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9406138","identity":"rs-9406138","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}