11 / 32
Page 34
Notes:
conferenceseries
.com
Volume 7, Issue 5 (Suppl)
Epidemiology (Sunnyvale), an open access journal
ISSN: 2161-1165
Epidemiology 2017
October 23-25, 2017
EPIDEMIOLOGY & PUBLIC HEALTH
October 23-25, 2017 | Paris, France
6
th
International Conference on
HIDDEN BURDENS FORWOMENAND GIRLS: WHY IS MENSTRUALMANAGEMENT NOT
ON THE PUBLIC HEALTHAGENDA IN OECD COUNTRIES?
Sarah Donovan
a
a
University of Otago, New Zealand
I
ssues relating to the management of menstrual pain and flow (including access to affordable menstrual products and
pain relief) are the main reason for missed school and work for women in girls in any country. However, these barriers to
participation in normal daily activities such as work and school have rarely been considered as within the purview of public
health.
While inadequate access to health education and menstrual management products is recognized by UNESCO as important
cultural and socioeconomic barriers for women and girls in developing countries, it is widely assumed that within OECD
countries these basic necessities are readily accessible by all. However, there is evidence that in a context of growing social
inequality within high-income countries, significant economic and cultural barriers to satisfactory menstrual management
do now exist for women and girls. As a case study, the presenter will discuss recent media coverage and advocacy work on
girls missing school in New Zealand due to the unaffordability of pads and tampons, and the inadequate provision of sanitary
disposal units in schools. She will also present findings from her recent and on-going qualitative studies investigating the
impact of Primary Dysmenorrhea on the lives of New Zealand women and adolescent girls.
This presentation argues that menstrual management should be recognized as a significant health equity issue in OECD
countries, warranting further investigation of the extent to which access to menstrual management products and pain relief
now varies significantly along socioeconomic lines.
Biography
Sarah Donovan is a sociologist with a focus on the social determinants of health. She has also worked as a midwife. Her doctoral research (2010, Victoria University
of Wellington) focused on prenatal screening for Down Syndrome in New Zealand, and investigated women's experience of prenatal screening decisions, and the
relationship of this experience to principles of individual choice and informed consent. Current research focuses on menstrual pain, and cost of menstrual products
as a barrier to school attendance. She currently teaches in the postgraduate Diploma of Public Health at the University of Otago, New Zealand.
sarah.donovan@otago.ac.nzSarah Donovan, Epidemiology (Sunnyvale) 2017, 7:5(Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2161-1165-C1-017