Measuring menstrual hygiene experience: Development and validation of the Menstrual Practice Needs Scale (MPNS-36)
Objectives. This study describes the development and validation the Menstrual Practice Needs Scale (MPNS-36) which measures the extent to which females’ menstrual practices and environments meet their needs. Methods. A 54-item pool was developed following systematic-review of qualitative and quantitative studies and expert feedback. Item reduction and scale validation were undertaken using a cross-sectional survey of 538 menstruating schoolgirls in Soroti, Uganda. Test-retest reliability was assessed in a sub-sample of 52 girls two weeks after the first administration. Construct validity was tested through relationships with hypothesised correlates: confidence to manage menses, self-reported school absenteeism, and mental health symptoms. Results. The final MPNS-36 comprises 28 items applicable to all respondents, and 8 items capturing washing and drying experiences for those reusing menstrual materials. A four-factor solution for the core 28 items was the best fit for the data (RMSEA=0.028-0.029; CFI=0.961-0.964; TFI=0.957-0.959), supplemented by two factors for reuse (RMSEA=0.021-0.030; CFI=0.987-0.994; TFI=0.981-0.991). Subscale and total scores were calculated as mean scores to support accessibility for practitioners. Subscales were ‘material and home environment needs’ (11 items, α-ordinal=0.84), ‘transport and school environment needs’ (5-items, α-ordinal=0.73), ‘material reliability concerns’ (3-items, α-ordinal=0.55), ‘change and disposal insecurity’ (9-items, α-ordinal=0.80), ‘reuse needs’ (5-items, α-ordinal=0.76), and ‘reuse insecurity’ (3-items, α-ordinal=0.56). Relationships between subscales and hypothesised correlates supported validity. Home- and school-based items were more strongly associated with confidence to manage menstruation at home and school, respectively. Higher scores predicted not missing school during the last menstrual period (total score: OR=2.62, 95%CI=1.52-4.50). Test-retest reliability was moderate (total score: ICC(2,1)=0.69).Conclusions. The MPNS-36 demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. It is the first measure to capture women and girls perceived menstrual hygiene and may be used across a range of study designs to assess menstrual needs. Future research should explore the suitability and sensitivity of the measure across contexts.