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Impact of Menstrual-Friendly Facilities on School Attendance among Female Secondary School Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Menstruation is an important aspect of adolescent girls' health and wellbeing and may influence educational participation when appropriate menstrual hygiene facilities and support are unavailable. Female secondary school students in Nigeria may experience challenges during menstruation because of inadequate water supply, insufficient toilet facilities, lack of privacy, limited access to changing spaces, inadequate disposal facilities, absence of menstrual hygiene materials, and concerns about leakage, discomfort, stigma, or embarrassment. These challenges may contribute to absenteeism, lateness, early departure from school, reduced classroom participation, and difficulty concentrating during menstruation. Menstrual-friendly facilities provide an opportunity to create a supportive school environment in which girls can manage menstruation safely, privately, and comfortably while remaining engaged in education. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of menstrual-friendly facilities on school attendance among female secondary school students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Social Ecological Model, Health Belief Model, and Social Cognitive Theory. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the influence of individual, interpersonal, school, environmental, infrastructural, and socioeconomic factors on menstrual hygiene management and educational participation. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of menstrual-related health challenges, perceived benefits of appropriate menstrual management, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action may influence their use of menstrual-friendly facilities and school attendance. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes self-efficacy, observational learning, social support, reinforcement, peer influence, and environmental factors in shaping menstrual hygiene practices and school participation. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how menstrual-friendly facilities may influence school attendance among female secondary school students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative analytical cross-sectional or quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise female students enrolled in selected public and private secondary schools across Nigeria who have begun menstruation. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, communities, schools, classes, and eligible students. Menstrual-friendly facilities will be assessed using indicators such as availability of functional and gender-segregated toilets, reliable water supply, soap and handwashing facilities, adequate privacy, safe and convenient changing spaces, menstrual product disposal facilities, access to emergency menstrual hygiene materials where available, cleanliness, lighting, ventilation, security, accessibility during school hours, availability of supportive staff, and appropriate menstrual hygiene information. School attendance will be assessed using indicators such as attendance rate, number of menstrual-related absences, lateness during menstruation, early departure from school, missed lessons, participation in classroom activities, and continuity of school attendance during menstrual periods. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized menstrual hygiene and school-attendance assessment tools, school attendance registers where ethically accessible, facility observation checklists, and pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments where a quasi-experimental design is adopted. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' demographic and academic characteristics, menstrual experiences, menstrual hygiene conditions, availability and utilization of menstrual-friendly facilities, and school attendance patterns. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of menstrual-friendly facilities on school attendance. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, school attendance rates before and after the introduction or improvement of menstrual-friendly facilities may be compared with those of a comparison school to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that menstrual-friendly facilities have a significant positive impact on school attendance among female secondary school students in Nigeria. Students who have access to clean, private, safe, functional, and adequately equipped menstrual-friendly facilities are expected to experience fewer menstruation-related barriers to attending school than students without comparable facilities. Adequate water, sanitation, privacy, changing spaces, and disposal facilities may enable girls to manage menstruation more comfortably and confidently during school hours. Access to emergency menstrual hygiene materials and supportive school personnel may further reduce anxiety associated with unexpected menstruation and menstrual leakage. Improved menstrual management may reduce menstrual-related absenteeism, lateness, early departure, and missed classroom activities. However, poverty, limited access to menstrual products, inadequate water supply, poor facility maintenance, menstrual stigma, bullying, lack of privacy, overcrowding, and insufficient school-level support may reduce the effectiveness of facilities alone. The study therefore expects accessible, safe, private, clean, and well-maintained menstrual-friendly facilities, supported by appropriate menstrual health education and supportive school policies, to contribute significantly to improved school attendance among female secondary school students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on menstrual health, menstrual hygiene management, school attendance, adolescent girls' health, school WASH, reproductive health, gender-responsive education, health education, environmental health, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, state ministries of health and education, schools, school health personnel, environmental health officers, parent-teacher organizations, menstrual health organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving girls' educational participation. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for improving menstrual-friendly school facilities, strengthening water and sanitation infrastructure, providing appropriate menstrual product disposal systems, improving access to emergency menstrual hygiene materials, reducing menstrual stigma, strengthening menstrual health education, and developing sustainable school-based WASH and menstrual-health interventions that support regular school attendance among female secondary school students across Nigeria.

Keywords: Menstrual-friendly facilities, school attendance, female secondary school students, menstrual hygiene management, menstrual health, school WASH, adolescent girls, reproductive health, school health, health education, Nigeria, public health.