Co-Creation of Women's Health in Asia and Africa: Improving Menstrual Hygiene Management

Taro Yamauchi of Hokkaido University in Japan will explore a community-based approach for menstrual hygiene management through fieldwork across different socioeconomic and sociocultural contexts in Japan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cameroon, and Zambia. This broad exploration will guide solutions that are tailored to each local context while also applicable in other countries and regions to improve the health and wellbeing of girls and women. Field work will encompass living conditions in urban, urban slum, and rural contexts, as well as in indigenous communities. They will incorporate a gender perspective on menstrual hygiene to understand how men's and women's knowledge and attitudes influence each other. They will engage community and religious leaders; healthcare providers, such as nurses and midwives; and girls and women, along with older generations. In Bangladesh, they will perform an intervention to improve menstrual hygiene and evaluate its impact.