Introduction
infirmity
DISEASE, SECONDARY
Globally, millions of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) who menstruate have limited access to appropriate and comfortable products to manage their menstruation. For many, the cost of appropriate menstrual products poses the greatest barrier to use, while access to water and sanitation and disposal facilities, which also help to manage menstruation, may be difficult or constrained [Improving access to appropriate menstrual products is one requirement to achieving menstrual health, defined as “…a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in relation to the menstrual cycle.”[Achieving menstrual health requires strategies that deliver menstrual products for free or at low-cost to AGYW from locations acceptable and accessible to them. One strategy is to distribute free products in schools, as has been promised and/or implemented by the governments of several countries, including Kenya, New Zealand and Uganda [There is limited research on AGYW’s access to menstrual products in Zambia. Qualitative research highlights that some AGYW use inappropriate materials, including cloths and cotton, to manage their menstruation, being unable to afford disposable pads or appropriate reusable products [Yathu Yathu was a cluster randomised trial (CRT) that estimated the impact of community-based, peer-led sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services on knowledge of HIV status and various secondary outcomes. Among the services offered through the Yathu Yathu intervention were free disposable pads and menstrual cups. Research conducted while the trial was ongoing showed that Yathu Yathu was an important source of menstrual products, particularly for adolescent girls aged 15–19 [