“Spot On & Off”: Evaluation of Effectiveness of Self-Formulated Menstrual Hygiene Campaign in Rural India

Abstract

Menstruation is a phenomenon unique to girls. However, it has always been surrounded by taboos that lead to the exclusion of women from many spheres of life. In rural India, the topic is still a taboo. One of the biggest challenges that the women face is not being educated and not having the resources to get pads. This research study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-formulated campaign called “Spot On & Off” to raise awareness about menstrual hygiene among females of various age groups in the rural area of Mewat in Haryana. A survey was conducted with 300 female respondents. Post the survey, an awareness workshop was done, where videos of gynaecologists explaining what menstruation was, were shown. A post survey was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the campaign. The respondents’ awareness showed a significant increase from 2.19 to 5.54 out of 10 on average. The study also found out that awareness had a 19% impact on the liking of reusable pads. Evidently, campaigns can exert a large impact on awareness in rural villages. Therefore, organisations need to start working at the grassroots level and reach out to more females in rural communities.