An educational intervention on sexual, reproductive, and menstrual health reduced negative perceptions and prejudices about menstruation among secondary school adolescents, with a greater effect observed in girls.
Key Findings
Results
An educational intervention on sexual, reproductive, and menstrual health significantly reduced negative perceptions and prejudices about menstruation among secondary school adolescents.
The study used a quasi-experimental prospective design with 351 adolescents (both girls and boys) from three public secondary schools in Morelos, Mexico.
The sample included 225 students in the control group and 126 in the intervention group.
A differences-in-differences analysis was used to measure the impact of the intervention on an additive index constructed to identify changes in perception and prejudices about menstruation.
Significant initial differences in sociodemographic variables were identified between groups and were included in the final model.
Results
The educational intervention had a greater effect on reducing menstrual prejudices in girls compared to boys.
The analysis identified a greater effect of the intervention in women ('observando un mayor efecto en las mujeres').
Both female and male adolescents were included in the intervention, allowing for sex-disaggregated comparison of outcomes.
The additive index was used to measure changes in perception and prejudices about menstruation across both sexes.
Conclusions
Explicitly and comprehensively addressing menstruation in an educational context facilitates a natural, unprejudiced view of bodily functioning.
The authors conclude that 'abordar la menstruación de manera explícita y comprensiva facilita una visión natural y sin prejuicios del funcionamiento del cuerpo.'
The intervention covered sexual, reproductive, and menstrual health topics.
The study was conducted in public schools in Morelos, Mexico, targeting secondary school-aged adolescents.
Methods
The study identified significant baseline sociodemographic differences between the control and intervention groups that required statistical adjustment.
Initial significant differences in sociodemographic variables were found between the control (n=225) and intervention (n=126) groups.
These differences were included in the final differences-in-differences model to control for confounding.
The unequal group sizes suggest non-random allocation, consistent with the quasi-experimental design.
What This Means
This research examined whether a structured educational program about sexual, reproductive, and menstrual health could change how teenagers think and feel about menstruation. The study took place in three public middle schools in Morelos, Mexico, and involved 351 adolescents — both girls and boys — divided into a group that received the educational intervention and a control group that did not. Researchers measured changes in attitudes and prejudices about menstruation using a specially constructed scoring index and a statistical method called differences-in-differences analysis to compare how much each group changed over time.
The results suggest that the educational intervention successfully reduced negative perceptions and prejudices related to menstruation. The effect was found among both boys and girls, but was notably stronger among girls. The researchers note that when menstruation is discussed openly and thoroughly in an educational setting, it helps young people develop a more natural, matter-of-fact understanding of how the body works.
This research suggests that including explicit menstrual health education in school curricula could be an effective way to reduce stigma and misinformation around menstruation during adolescence. Since the study included both male and female students, it also points to the potential value of educating boys alongside girls on these topics, which could contribute to broader cultural shifts in how menstruation is perceived and discussed.