Investigating Usage of Menstrual Hygiene Methods among Young Tribal Women in India: A Regional Analysis

The portrayal of menstrual blood varies widely, being depicted as sacred, a divine gift, or even a punishment for sin among tribal societies. Meanwhile, maintaining menstrual hygiene is of utmost importance. Very few studies have explored this issue. To address this gap, the present study examines the menstrual hygiene methods region-wise among tribal women aged 15-24 using the National Family Health Survey. The bivariate analysis revealed that the groups of indigenous people who fall outside the predominant Indian social hierarchy are most deprived among all the caste/tribe groups in the usage of hygienic methods. About three-fifths of the young tribal women still use clothes. The prevalence of usage of unhygienic methods among tribal women is highest in Madhya Pradesh (59%), followed by Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh. Half of the young tribal women from the central region still use unhygienic methods, followed by those from the western, eastern, and northern regions. However, there is an improvement in the usage of menstrual hygiene methods among tribal women. There is a wide cross-sectional variation in educational level, religion, mass media exposure, wealth index, and the type of toilet facility across the regions of India, as revealed by multivariate analysis. The government should mitigate the regional disparity.