Review began 07/04/2023 Review ended 07/17/2023 Published 07/20/2023 © Copyright 2023 Mittal et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Menstrual Hygiene Practices in Indian Tribal Females: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Swati Mittal , Swati Priya , Rajan Kumar , Bhavna Verma , Anamika Meena 1. Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Deoghar, Deoghar, IND 2. Obstetrics and Gynecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Deoghar, Deoghar, IND 3. Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Deoghar, Deoghar, IND 4. Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Patna, Patna, IND Corresponding author: Swati Priya, drswatipriya6801@gmail.com Abstract India is native to many tribal communities: Bharia (Madhya Pradesh), Bihl (Rajasthan), Santhal (Bihar, Jharkhand), Bodo (Assam, West Bengal), and many more. They reside in isolated geographical regions, which poses challenges in reaching out to them. In addition, they still have firm beliefs and taboos regarding menstruation. Knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene is one of the most important aspects of tribal health. Therefore, it is important to synthesize the results of menstrual hygiene data from the Indian tribal population. We have calculated the pooled prevalence of sanitary pad use, dustbin disposal, and hygienic reuse of menstrual materials. Online databases, namely PubMed, Cochrane Central, CINAHL, Pan African Journals, EBSCO, and Google Scholar, were searched. After the removal of duplicates, a quality check, and screening of cross-references, 19 articles were selected for final review. Statistical analysis was done by Revman 5.4 and STATA 17.0. A p- value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. PRISMA guidelines were followed. The protocol registration number was CRD42022331376. This is a non-funded article. The pooled prevalence of sanitary pad use in Indian tribal females was 2% (95% CI 1 to 3). The pooled prevalence of dustbin disposal of menstrual material was 1% (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.02). The pooled prevalence of hygienic reuse of menstrual materials was 1%. Sanitary menstrual hygiene practices are very less prevalent in Indian tribal females. Awareness programs and tribal health policies need to be accelerated for the promotion of menstrual hygiene. Also, literature on the use, disposal, and storage of menstrual adsorbents is scarce in Indian tribes. Health research in this area needs to be emphasized. Categories: Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Public Health Keywords: dustbin disposal, indian tribal females, menstrual hygiene, menstrual materials, sanitary pads Introduction And Background Menstrual hygiene is an integral part of tribal health [1]. In India, menstruation is regarded as a social and cultural taboo [2]. Lack of knowledge and social support cause anxiety and fear, leading to unpreparedness for menstruation and unsafe menstrual practices in young females [3]. Sanitary pads and sanitary napkins have been made available under many government programs for promoting menstrual hygiene [4]. Apart from the type of adsorbent used, the method of use, disposal, storage, and reuse practices are equally important [5]. Hulland KRS et al. noted that sanitation behaviors that were most restricted, namely menstruation, were the most stressful. This is remarkable in young adolescents and newly married women living in their in-laws’ households, where they face social restrictions surrounding menstruation and all sanitation-related behaviors such as restricted water access, taboos related to cooking, or religious practices during their periods [6]. India is the homeland of a diversity of tribes distributed widely across the country. They usually reside in hilly terrain and transit-restricted areas that are difficult to reach [7]. Every tribal community is unique with respect to practices, beliefs, and customs [8]. Previous literature shows varied practices related to menstrual management are prevalent differently in different tribes. Further, isolation, religious and lifestyle restrictions, and taboos on the consumption of foods such as rice, curd, milk, lassi, potatoes, and onion sugarcane during the menstrual period are imposed [9-11]. Hence, this study was undertaken to determine the pooled prevalence of usage, dustbin disposal, and sun- drying practices of menstrual materials among Indian tribal females. Review 1 2 3 2 4 Open Access Review Article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.42216 How to cite this article Mittal S, Priya S, Kumar R, et al. (July 20, 2023) Menstrual Hygiene Practices in Indian Tribal Females: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cureus 15(7): e42216. DOI 10.7759/cureus.42216