Table 2. Summary of cleansing data reported in the diaries over 42 days by women who had complete data in the Diary Study in Tanzania and Uganda, per woman analysis.
| Tanzanian Diaries(N = 82) | Ugandan Diaries(N = 99) | Comparison(p-value)a | |
| Frequency | |||
| Number of women who report cleansing ever | 79 (96.3%) | 99 (100.0%) | p = 0.06 |
| Mean cleansing acts per dayb | 3.7 | 4.5 | |
| Median (IQR) cleansing acts per dayb | 4.0 (3.2 to 4.6) | 4.7 (4.2 to 5.0) | p<0.01 |
| Mean frequency of cleansing per dayb | (n = 82) | (n = 99) | p<0.01 |
| <0.50 | 3 (3.7%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 0.50 to 1.49 | 3 (3.7%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 1.50 to 2.49 | 6 (7.3%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 2.50 to 3.49 | 13 (15.9%) | 5 (5.1%) | |
| 3.50 to 4.49 | 32 (39.0%) | 34 (34.3%) | |
| >4.50 | 25 (30.5%) | 60 (60.6%) | |
| Substance | (n = 82) | (n = 99) | |
| Overall substance use | p<0.01 | ||
| Water only always | 28 (34.2%) | 19 (19.2%) | |
| Commercial product at least once, but never traditionalc | 46 (56.1%) | 44 (44.4%) | |
| Traditional product at least once, but never commerciald | 3 (3.7%) | 4 (4.0%) | |
| Both commercial and traditional products at least once, separately | 1 (1.2%) | 18 (18.2%) | |
| Both commercial and traditional products at least once, combined | 1 (1.2%) | 14 (14.1%) | |
| Does not cleanse | 3 (3.7%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Frequency of using a commercial product as proportion of times cleansede | (n = 48) | (n = 76) | p = 0.38 |
| <25% | 12 (25%) | 24 (31.6%) | |
| 25 to 49% | 4 (8.3%) | 4 (5.3%) | |
| 50 to 74% | 6 (12.5%) | 11 (14.5%) | |
| 75% + | 26 (54.2%) | 37 (48.7%) | |
| Frequency of using a traditional product as proportion of times cleansedf | (n = 5) | (n = 36) | p = 0.12 |
| <25% | 5 (100%) | 33 (91.7%) | |
| 25 to 49% | 0 (0%) | 3 (8.3%) | |
| 50 to 74% | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 75% + | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Application | (n = 82) | (n = 99) | |
| Application method | p<0.01 | ||
| Fingers only always | 46 (56.1%) | 36 (36.4%) | |
| Cloth at least once, but never other | 20 (24.4%) | 19 (19.2%) | |
| Otherg at least once, but never cloth | 6 (7.3%) | 14 (14.1%) | |
| Both cloth and other at least once, separately | 2 (2.4%) | 21 (21.2%) | |
| Both cloth and other at least once, combined | 5 (6.1%) | 9 (9.1%) | |
| Does not cleanse | 3 (3.7%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Frequency of using cloth, as proportion of times cleansed | (n = 27) | (n = 49) | p = 0.45 |
| <25% | 17 (63.0%) | 32 (65.3%) | |
| 25 to 49% | 0 (0%) | 5 (10.2%) | |
| 50 to 74% | 4 (14.8%) | 3 (6.1%) | |
| 75% + | 6 (22.2%) | 9 (18.4%) | |
| Frequency of using another applicator, as proportion of times cleansed | (n = 13) | (n = 44) | p = 1.00 |
| <25% | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 25 to 49% | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 50 to 74% | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | |
| 75% + | 13 (100%) | 44 (100%) | |
| Cleansing related to sexual intercourse | |||
| Number of women who had sex at least once during the study | 69 (84.2%) | 96 (97.0%) | p<0.01 |
| Mean number of sex acts per dayh | 0.43 | 1.67 | |
| Median (IQR) of sex acts per dayh | 0.29 (0.19 to 0.60) | 1.37 (0.91 to 2.41) | p<0.01 |
| Frequency of sex-related cleansing, as a proportion of the woman’s total sex actsi | (n = 57) | (n = 71) | p<0.01 |
| Never | 3 (5.3%) | 3 (4.2%) | |
| <25% | 1 (1.8%) | 2 (2.8%) | |
| 25 to 49% | 3 (5.3%) | 9 (12.7%) | |
| 50 to 74% | 8 (14.0%) | 27 (38.0%) | |
| 75% + | 42 (73.7%) | 30 (42.3%) | |
| Mean cleansing acts per day when NO sex was reported | 3.78 | 4.46 | |
| Mean cleansing acts per day when sex was reported | 3.99 | 4.56 | |
| p-values for the difference between distributionsj | p = 0.01 | p = 0.08 | |
| Cleansing related to menses | |||
| Frequency of menstruation | p = 0.13 | ||
| 2+ menstrual periods during study | 31 (37.8%) | 51 (51.5%) | |
| One menstrual period during study | 39 (47.6%) | 33 (33.3%) | |
| No menstrual periods during study | 12 (14.6%) | 15 (15.2%) | |
| Cleansing related to menstruation | (n = 70) | (n = 84) | |
| Mean cleansing acts per day when there was NO menstruation | 3.68 | 4.50 | |
| Mean cleansing act per day when there was menstruation | 3.98 | 4.67 | |
| p-values for the difference between distributionsj | p<0.01 | p<0.01 | |
| Sex during menstruation | (N = 70) | (N = 84) | |
| Participants who reported sex at least once during a day of menstruation | 8 (11.4%) | 34 (40.5%) | p = 0.01 |
| Vaginal cleansing related to vaginal discomfortk | |||
| Frequency | |||
| Participants who noted vaginal discomfort at least once | 40 (48.8%) | 60 (60.6%) | 0.13 |
| Cleansing related to vaginal discomfort | (n = 40) | (n = 60) | |
| Mean cleansing acts per day when there was NO vaginal discomfort | 3.69 | 4.54 | |
| Mean cleansing acts per day when there was vaginal discomfort | 3.89 | 4.62 | |
| p-values for the difference between distributionsj | p = 0.39 | p = 0.08 |
Legend: a = Wilcoxon rank-sum for non-parametric data; b = Calculation was for all participants including those not reporting cleansing. Up to four cleansing acts could be counted. If a participant ticked the box stating she had cleansed more than four times on that day, we assumed that she had cleansed five times; c = Commercial products for cleansing: In In-depth Interviews (IDI), participants reported the use of soap in Tanzania and soap and aerated drinks in Uganda; d = Traditional products for cleansing: In the IDI, Tanzanian participants did not report the use of traditional products, but in Uganda the use of herbs was reported; e = Restricted to those who reported using a commercial substance; f = Restricted to those who reported using a traditional substance; g = Other applicator used for cleansing: In IDI, participants reported the use of toilet paper in Tanzania and Uganda; h = Restricted to those who reported having sex; i = Among women who reported cleansing at least once and had sex at least once, restricted to the days when they reported cleansing ≤4 times so that all sex-related cleansing could be captured by the diary; j = Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data; k = Vaginal discomfort was defined as vaginal irritation, pain or itching; an abnormal discharge; or abnormal smell.