Demographic, menstrual and sexual/reproductive characteristics of study population at baseline (N=644)
| Group | Characteristics* | Statistics/category | Control (%) (N=200) | Pads (%) (N=256) | Cups (%) (N=188) | Total (%) (N=644) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic | Grade at enrolment | Mean (SD) | 6.8 (0.8) | 6.8 (0.8) | 6.7 (0.8) | 6.8 (0.8) |
| Age in years at enrolment | Mean (SD) | 14.6 (0.7) | 14.5 (0.7) | 14.6 (0.7) | 14.6 (0.7) | |
| Socioeconomic status† | n | 171 | 216 | 156 | 543 | |
| Poorest | 43 (25.1%) | 29 (13.4%) | 22 (14.1%) | 94 (17.3%) | ||
| Lives with mother | n | 194 | 249 | 183 | 626 | |
| Yes | 143 (73.7%) | 166 (66.7%) | 121 (66.1%) | 430 (68.7%) | ||
| Well-being (PEDSQL) | n | 199 | 251 | 182 | 632 | |
| Mean (SD) | 409.4 (103.1) | 436.5 (121.4) | 420.3 (123.8) | 423.3 (117.0) | ||
| Menstrual | Age in years at menarche | Mean (SD) | 13.6 (0.8) | 13.7 (0.8) | 13.5 (1.0) | 13.6 (0.9) |
| Number of days menses | Mean (SD) | 3.7 (1.2) | 3.9 (1.3) | 3.7 (1.5) | 3.8 (1.3) | |
| Experience heavy periods | n | 200 | 256 | 188 | 644 | |
| Yes | 41 (20.5%) | 68 (26.6%) | 39 (20.7%) | 148 (23.0%) | ||
| Experience period cramps | n | 200 | 256 | 188 | 644 | |
| Yes | 129 (64.5%) | 165 (64.5%) | 115 (61.2%) | 409 (63.5%) | ||
| Report have ever used pads | n | 200 | 256 | 188 | 644 | |
| Yes | 168 (84.0%) | 198 (77.3%) | 166 (88.3%) | 532 (82.6%) | ||
| Sexual/reproductive | Report have ever had sex‡ | n | 194 | 249 | 183 | 626 |
| Yes | 47 (24.2%) | 58 (23.3%) | 58 (31.7%) | 163 (26.0%) | ||
| Report have ever been pregnant | n | 194 | 249 | 183 | 626 | |
| Yes | 0 (0%) | 2 (0.8%) | 2 (1.1%) | 4 (0.6%) | ||
| Report being married | n | 194 | 249 | 183 | 626 | |
| Yes | 3 (1.5%) | 4 (1.6%) | 5 (2.7%) | 12 (1.9%) |
*Characteristics reported by participants at baseline survey.
†Poorest: lowest two quintiles; less poor: upper three quintiles of socioeconomic status index score computed by multiple correspondence analysis.
‡Ever had sex includes those reporting having had sexual intercourse, including those reporting tricked or forced to have sexual intercourse.