How Can We Improve Knowledge and Perceptions of Menstruation? A Mixed-methods Research Study
Abstract Background Traditionally, menstrual education has been conducted in the form of lectures directed mainly towards women. This study aimed to design an innovative menstrual education (ME) program that reflects the needs of both young women and men, and to verify its effectiveness.Methods A mixed-method design was used to determine the requirements of an ME program and to assess young adults’ knowledge and perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products. Focus group interviews were conducted with 17 young adults, and 150 young adults participated in an online survey. After developing the ME program, 10 young adults participated in an experiment to verify its effectiveness.Results The interview results showed that young adults wanted more knowledge of various types of menstrual products. The online survey revealed significant differences in knowledge based on participants’ general characteristics and experience; exposure to menstruation and menstrual products had a positive impact on knowledge and perception. In addition, the results indicated that young adults would like ME content to be available on mobile devices and via in-person methods, to be designed for both genders, to draw on menstrual experts’ knowledge, and to incorporate multi-experimental methods. Considering the results, a multi-experimental menstrual education (MEME) program was designed, utilizing hands-on exposure to 60 menstrual products, simulations of the products’ use with a female perineal model, a YouTube video created by the researchers, a true-or-false quiz, and question-and-answer sessions with menstrual experts.Conclusions This study clarified the requirements of an innovative menstrual education program. Consequently, the MEME program not only led to high satisfaction among participants, but also helped to improve knowledge and perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products. In the online survey, results showed a correlation between the extent of received ME, and respondents’ perception of menstrual products. This implies that MEME could change perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products when conducted systematically; by extension, it would contribute to addressing the cause of menstruation-related problems attributed to poverty. Future research could further verify the effectiveness of the MEME program, using a larger sample, for the program’s incorporation into official ME curricula, such as at universities and companies.Trial registration This trial was registered in a Clinical Research Information Service in Korea that was linked with the World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (WHO’s ICTRP) (no. KCT0004715), Registered 07 Feb 2020, https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/search_result_st01.jsp?seq=15855