The Impact of Norms on Adolescent Girls' Menstrual Health in Nepal

规范对尼泊尔少女月经健康的影响

• 批准号: 2871806
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Bath
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2871806
• 关键词: Impact; Norms; Adolescent; Girls; Menstrual

This research will explore how norms impact adolescent girls' menstrual health in Nepal & identify how these norms can be addressed. The research will sit within the broader UKRI-funded 'Menstrual Justice in Low- and Middle-Income Countries' (MeJARa) project. It will include primary data collection & analysis conducted in collaboration with the Center for Research on Environment, Health & Population Activities (CREHPA) in Nepal & secondary analysis of data produced through MeJARa.Menstrual taboos are negative social norms that present a major barrier to adolescent health & wellbeing. In some contexts, menstrual taboos and stigma have translated into restrictive practices that have been normalised within communities over generations. Nepal is characterised by highly gendered discrimination and severe longstanding menstrual norms. A particular concern is the traditional practice of chhaupadi where menstruating women and girls are required to sleep away from their home in a chhau hut, animal shed, or outside. The practice was criminalised in 2018, however the law is rarely enforced. Restrictions such as chhaupadi are tied to religious and cultural beliefs about the impurity of menstrual blood and carry with them fear of retribution if they are not adhered to. Adolescent girls are significantly burdened and risk personal safety by following chhaupadi while simultaneously risking stigmatisation and family reputation if they do not comply to the menstrual norms of their community. These pressures mean many suffer from anxiety and depression. Advancing our understanding of how norms impact menstrual health is a crucial step towards addressing menstrual injustice. However, there is a dearth of research on menstruation and it has been largely neglected in both national and international policy despite its significance for sexual and reproductive health and rights, education, gender equality and the environment. Addressing individual menstrual practices like chhaupadi on their own will not remove the stigma and taboos surrounding menstruation. It is imperative that the norms that influence these practices are understood, as well as the power structures and intersecting factors that can sustain or disrupt them. An exploratory mixed-methods approach will be adopted and the following questions will guide the research: 1. What influences norms and beliefs regarding menstruation in Nepal?2. How do menstrual norms and beliefs affect adolescent girls' menstrual experiences? 3. How can the Nepali government support menstrual health?The research will include qualitative work with religious and community leaders in the form of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions to broaden our understanding of why beliefs exist, their influence on menstrual health and normative expectations of others. MeJARa will also include qualitative research with post-menarcheal adolescent girls, their families and members of the wider community on topics including purity and shame; inclusion and exclusion; and the lived experience of adolescent girls. This will include Photovoice, a community-based participatory method that involves individuals in research to visually document their lived experiences through photography. The research will explore how norms, beliefs and practices differ within Nepal by working with CREHPA to collect data from both chhaupadi and non-chhaupadi affected areas as well as urban and rural areas. Quantitative, longitudinal survey data on girls' experiences of and attitudes towards menstruation, and quality of life outcomes, will also be collected through MeJARa. This research will contribute to improving menstrual health globally and the outputs will add to the growing literature on norms that are harmful to health. A technical advisory committee in Nepal will advise on materials throughout the study and is eager to utilise the results in policy and programming. It therefore has significant potential for impact.

这项研究将探讨规范如何影响尼泊尔少女的月经健康，并确定如何解决这些规范。这项研究将在英国研究所资助的“中低收入国家的人权司法”（MeJARa）项目中进行。它将包括与尼泊尔环境、健康和人口活动研究中心合作进行的初级数据收集和分析，以及对通过MeJARa产生的数据进行的次级分析。在某些情况下，月经禁忌和耻辱已转化为限制性做法，在社区内几代人都已正常化。尼泊尔的特点是高度性别歧视和严重的长期月经规范。一个特别令人关切的问题是chhaupadi的传统习俗，即要求怀孕的妇女和女孩离家睡在chhau小屋、畜棚或外面。这种做法在2018年被定为刑事犯罪，但法律很少执行。像chhaupadi这样的限制与经血不洁的宗教和文化信仰有关，如果不遵守，他们会担心受到报复。青春期女孩背负着沉重的负担，并因遵循chhaupadi而冒着人身安全的风险，同时如果她们不遵守社区的月经规范，则会冒着污名化和家庭声誉的风险。这些压力意味着许多人患有焦虑和抑郁症。推进我们对规范如何影响月经健康的理解是解决月经不公正的关键一步。然而，关于月经的研究很少，而且在国家和国际政策中基本上被忽视，尽管它对性健康和生殖健康及权利、教育、性别平等和环境具有重要意义。解决像chhaupadi这样的个人月经实践本身不会消除围绕月经的耻辱和禁忌。必须了解影响这些做法的规范，以及可以维持或破坏这些做法的权力结构和交叉因素。本研究将采用探索性的混合研究方法，并以下列问题作为研究的指导：1。什么影响尼泊尔关于月经的规范和信仰？2.月经规范和信仰如何影响青春期女孩的月经经历？3.尼泊尔政府如何支持月经健康？该研究将包括与宗教和社区领袖的定性工作，以深入访谈和焦点小组讨论的形式，扩大我们对信仰存在的原因，它们对月经健康的影响以及对他人的规范期望的理解。MeJARa还将包括对月经后青春期少女，她们的家庭和更广泛社区成员的定性研究，主题包括纯洁和羞耻;包容和排斥;以及青春期少女的生活经历。这将包括Photovoice，这是一种基于社区的参与性方法，让个人参与研究，通过摄影直观地记录他们的生活经历。这项研究将通过与该研究中心合作，从恰帕迪和非恰帕迪受影响地区以及城市和农村地区收集数据，探讨尼泊尔境内的规范、信仰和做法有何不同。还将通过MeJARa收集关于女孩月经经历和态度以及生活质量结果的定量纵向调查数据。这项研究将有助于改善全球的月经健康，其成果将增加关于有害健康的规范的文献。尼泊尔的一个技术咨询委员会将在整个研究过程中就材料提供咨询意见，并渴望在政策和方案编制中利用研究结果。因此，它具有很大的影响潜力。