UH CODE RED: Menstrual Hygiene Needs of Individuals on the University of Houston Campus

Abstract

Menstruation is a natural bodily process that individuals are unable to control, but unlike other hygiene products, such as toilet paper, menstrual products are not freely provided within most public restrooms. To address this issue, we will be specifically examining the overall menstrual hygiene needs of individuals at the University of Houston (UH) campus. Previous studies that have been conducted on this subject differed from ours because they did not provide nor validate the need for menstrual hygiene products. Furthermore, most of these studies did not take place in an environment as broad and diverse as a university campus. Individuals at the UH campus will be assessed on their views and attitudes about menstrual products through a series of surveys accessed through a QR code visible on flyers. Additionally, the selected restroom locations on campus will include boxes containing free pads and tampons, which can be utilized by anyone who needs them. To validate the need for free menstrual products our study will: conduct our first method for collecting data on the attitudes of UH students for two weeks, after which we will replace it with a different survey that gauges how individuals feel when we cease to restock the boxes in all of the bathrooms. We hypothesize that most individuals will prefer the presence of free feminine hygiene products and will show genuine concern in their absence. This study is currently still ongoing, and the results will be analyzed in the near future.

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