Comprehending women beliefs towards sustainable menstrual products – a fundamental step in healthcare

Abstract

Purpose

Access to good menstrual products is a human rights issue. Yet, there are rising health concerns of women regarding traditional–plastic sanitary napkins. The usage of these products has raised apprehensions towards the environmental pollution due to the plastic content. The solution for both these issues lies in the sustainable menstrual products. As menstruation is a public health issue, this study aims to identify the role of health beliefs on attitude of women towards sustainable menstrual products.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted for the purpose of data collection. The study uses questionnaire as a research instrument to gain an insight on women health beliefs towards sustainable menstrual products. Data was collected from 527 women respondents through convenience sampling. SPSS and Smart-PLS 4 were used for analysing the data.

Findings

Results of the study indicate that all the health belief perceptions had a significant impact on attitude. Women with more positive health belief and less negative health beliefs are the potential consumers for sustainable menstrual products.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this the first study that uses health belief model to explore and add to the menstruation literature especially sustainable menstrual hygiene.

Citation

Ahuja, P. and Singh, N. (2023), "Comprehending women beliefs towards sustainable menstrual products – a fundamental step in healthcare", International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-08-2023-0068