Funded Projects

Addressing Period Poverty In Charleston

Project Year

2023

City & State

Charleston, South Carolina

Program Name

CATCH Resident

Topic

Adolescent Health

Program Description

Period poverty and stigma surrounding menstruation are sources of stress and anxiety among youth across the globe. Period poverty refers to the inability to afford and/or lack of access to menstrual hygiene education, products, and waste management. This struggle becomes a chronic burden for many, as monetary costs build and physical limitations impact academic and work performance. Furthermore, difficulty accessing the necessary sanitary products can lead to seeking of unsafe materials and avoidance of daily activities. Access to proper menstrual hygiene is a basic need. However, of over 500 million people who experience menstruation globally, it is estimated that nearly 25% experience period poverty. While data regarding period poverty has been largely demonstrated in low-income countries, recent data suggests the experiences of those living in poverty in the US are similar. Data from a Harris Insights & Analytics Poll sponsored by Thinx & PERIOD, demonstrated that of 1,000 teens ages 13-19 in the US, two-thirds felt stress due to lack of access to period products, 20% struggled to afford period products, and 25% have missed class due to lack of access to period products. The majority of teens surveyed had negative connotations surrounding menstruation such as that periods are gross or unsanitary. Another study of over 470 college students aged 18-24 found that 14.2% had experienced period poverty in the last year with an additional 10% experiencing period poverty monthly. Over 50% reported using other materials as menstrual products. This study also found that period poverty was most frequently experienced by Latina women (24.5%), followed by Black women (19%). Benefit programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), do not cover menstrual hygiene products. While several states have implemented tax free menstrual products, 27 states, including South Carolina, still tax menstrual products as luxury or non-essential items. As pediatricians, it is our responsibility to provide education and normalize menstruation as the natural and universal part of women's health that it is. To address this need, we are partnering with the Lowcountry Period Project in Charleston, South Carolina in order to provide menstrual education on a mass scale. We will develop a survey to understand current knowledge on menstruation, proper use of sanitary products, and ways to encourage normal function during menstruation. We will then develop educational materials for the Lowcountry Period Project to be distributed throughout the Charleston-metro area on a regular basis. Finally, we will provide a post-education survey to understand the impact of our educational materials and determine methods to further improve menstrual education on a grand scale.

Project Goal

Address period poverty and work toward menstrual equity by improving education and access to period products for menstruating adolescents in our community.

Project Objective 1

Understand current baseline knowledge of menstruation by surveying at least 100 young adolescents before receiving period products and educational materials from our community partner via a QR code link over the first six months of our project timeline.

Project Objective 2

Work toward menstrual equity by providing education regarding the science of menstruation, proper use of sanitary products, and tips to mitigate the negative impact of menstruation on daily activities, to be included in packs of period products over the second six months of our project timeline.

Project Objective 3

Assess the impact of our educational intervention by surveying at least 100 adolescents after receiving period products in addition to educational materials with QR code survey link over the second six months of our project timeline.

AAP District

District IV

Institutional Name

Medical University of South Carolina

Contact 1

Melanie Gray Miller

Contact 2

Sarah Olson