Enhancing client engagement and alleviating period product insecurity: A cross-sectional study of community-based period supply banks’ distribution of free period products through intermediary partner agencies in the United States
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2024-01
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<jats:sec><jats:title>Background:</jats:title><jats:p> Period products like pads, tampons, and a variety of disposable and reusable hygiene supplies constitute just one facet essential for effectively managing menstruation in a way that allows an individual to feel comfortable carrying out their daily routine. Given the absence of comprehensive public policies ensuring access to period products for economically disadvantaged menstruating individuals, community-based basic needs banks, particularly period supply banks, were established to alleviate the challenges faced by those experiencing period product insecurity. These initiatives specifically aim to furnish essential menstrual products to individuals in need. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives:</jats:title><jats:p> This study aimed to assess any organizational benefits experienced by community-based organizations distributing period products on behalf of period supply banks. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design:</jats:title><jats:p> This cross-sectional study is a formative evaluation of the distribution of free period products by period supply banks, which provide access to essential menstrual hygiene products for individuals in need through partnership with community-based partner agencies. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods:</jats:title><jats:p> Staff members at agencies distributing period products were invited to complete an anonymous web-based survey at two different time points about their agency’s experiences distributing free period products. All participants provided informed consent via the web-based survey. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p> Agency staff reported that since they started providing period products, clients were more likely to: start a conversation about other needs (66.7%), extend the length of their relationship with the agency (60.0%), keep scheduled appointments (62.1%), ask for assistance with another need (75.0%), communicate between visits (42.4%), participate in other agency programming (55.9%), and seek other agency services (73.5%). Due to a shortage of period products, 41% of agencies have had to turn away clients needing period supplies. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion:</jats:title><jats:p> Period supply banks, in collaboration with community-based partner agencies, enhance access to both menstrual products and the associated support, fostering engagement with diverse resources and opportunities among recipients. However, addressing unmet needs necessitates policies and additional funding to ensure universal access to essential hygiene supplies for everyone to thrive and actively participate in society. </jats:p></jats:sec>
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Massengale, Kelley EC, Lynn H Comer, Kelsey M Bowman and Susan Van Ness (2024). Enhancing client engagement and alleviating period product insecurity: A cross-sectional study of community-based period supply banks’ distribution of free period products through intermediary partner agencies in the United States. Women's Health, 20. 10.1177/17455057241259731 Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/31563.
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Scholars@Duke
Kels Bowman
Kels Bowman, Ph.D. candidate at Duke University, focuses on public policy with a particular interest in state-level policymaking and its impact on child and family wellbeing. Her research primarily explores period product insecurity and poverty, emphasizing developing innovative measures to assess and address these issues. Kels is passionate about the role of states as laboratories of democracy, investigating how state policies can serve as models for broader national strategies. Her current project involves developing and validating the Period Product Security Scale, a novel survey tool designed to capture the unique challenges of menstrual product insecurity. This work is conducted in collaboration with the National Diaper Bank Network, Alliance for Period Supplies, and the Diaper Bank of North Carolina, highlighting her commitment to community-engaged research.
Education
B.A. Sewanee: The University of the South '19, Political Science
M.P.P. The American University '21, with concentrations in Social Policy and Advanced Policy Analysis
Interests
Period Poverty; Material Hardships; Social Policy; Deservingness; Families and Children
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