Table 2 Summary of methods
Method | Purpose | Description | Sample characteristics | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
In-depth interview | To understand barriers to MHM, and how these effect participants’ lives. | Undertaken at the participant’s home, school, care home or hospital; interviews lasted between 1 and 1.5 h. With consent, interviews were conducted in Nepali, recorded on a voice recorder, and translated into English if JW (who does not speak Nepali) was present. Field notes were made after the interviews. | Individuals with disabilities, aged 15–24 and menstruates, and carers who support them | 20 individuals with disabilities 13 carers |
To understand the menstrual products available, user preference and rationale. | Market survey, product attribute assessment and user preference with ranking: a range of menstrual products available on the local market were displayed to participants during interviews. Researchers asked participants if they had used any, their preference with reasons for why, and to rank the products according to preference. A photo was taken of the products in ranked order. | Individuals with disabilities | 16 individuals with disabilities | |
Observation | To observe if any participants face accessibility or safety barriers when using water, sanitation and menstrual hygiene management facilities (revised version of WEDC, WaterAid (2013) Accessibility and safety audit [49]). | Observed participants demonstrating where they stored their menstrual product, how they changed, washed and/or disposed of it; where they collected water from, what soap was used, and where they washed their bodies. Issues explored included accessibility, privacy and safety of facilities, such as distance to water source, ability to use facilities independently, if the participant can be seen in the facility; if it is well lit, if it has a door with a lock that can be used independently. Photographs of facilities were taken and field notes recorded. Observation took place after in-depth interviews. | Individuals with disabilitiesand carers | 20 individuals with disabilities 13 carers |
PhotoVoice | To allow participants to express themselves visually; allow participants time to reflect on the issues, and rank their experiences against perceived levels of importance. | Cameras were lent to participants, who were asked to take five photos of their own menstrual experience or of caring for another person’s menstrual cycle. Photos were printed and discussed with the participants, who provided captions and ranked the photos according to which was the greatest to least important issue. The whole process took 0.5 to 1 day per participant. All participants requested that their real names are credited whenever their photos and captions are used. Participant’s names are used in this article. | Individuals with disabilities, able to understand the task, use a camera or direct a third party to take photos. Carer who provides care throughout the menstrual cycle. | 3 individuals with disabilities 1 carer |