Table 6. Binary and multivariate analysis on school absence due to menstruation.
| Variables | School absence | OR (95% CI) | AOR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No (N = 932) | Yes (N = 434) | |||
| n (%) | n (%) | |||
| Age | ||||
| < 16 years old | 434 (76.5) | 133 (23.5) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| ≥ 16 years old | 498 (62.3) | 301 (37.7) | 1.97 (1.55–2.51)*** | 1.79 (1.37–2.34)*** |
| Ethno-linguistics | ||||
| Lao-Tai | 619 (68.0) | 291 (32.0) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Hmong-Mien | 162 (65.6) | 85 (34.4) | 1.12 (0.83–1.50) | 1.24 (0.81–1.89) |
| Mon-Khmer | 151 (72.2) | 58 (27.8) | 0.82 (0.59–1.14) | 1.12 (0.72–1.74) |
| Allowance per week | ||||
| < 15,000 LAK | 144 (72.7) | 54 (27.3) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| 20,000–40,000 LAK | 305 (71.4) | 122 (28.6) | 1.07 (0.73–1.56) | 1.07 (0.69–1.66) |
| 50,000–100,000 LAK | 366 (67.5) | 176 (32.5) | 1.28 (0.89–1.84) | 1.27 (0.81–2.00) |
| 110,000–200,000 LAK | 89 (60.5) | 58 (39.5) | 1.74 (1.10–2.74)* | 1.57 (0.89–2.77) |
| > 200,000 LAK | 28 (53.8) | 24 (46.2) | 2.29 (1.22–4.29)* | 2.38 (1.16–4.87)* |
| Father’s education | ||||
| Unable to read/write | 34 (55.7) | 27 (44.3) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Primary school | 207 (69.7) | 90 (30.3) | 0.55 (0.31–0.96)* | 0.64 (0.33–1.26) |
| Lower secondary school | 156 (67.0) | 77 (33.0) | 0.62 (0.35–1.10) | 0.76 (0.37–1.56) |
| Upper secondary school | 212 (68.2) | 99 (31.8) | 0.59 (0.34–1.03) | 0.64 (0.31–1.32) |
| Diploma or higher | 323 (69.6) | 141 (30.4) | 0.55 (0.32–0.95)* | 0.51 (0.25–1.07) |
| Mother’s education | ||||
| Unable to read/write | 102 (61.4) | 64 (38.6) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Primary school | 256 (70.1) | 109 (29.9) | 0.68 (0.46–1.00)* | 0.71 (0.44–1.15) |
| Lower secondary school | 188 (69.9) | 81 (30.1) | 0.69 (0.46–1.03) | 0.76 (0.44–1.31) |
| Upper secondary school | 215 (68.9) | 97 (31.1) | 0.72 (0.49–1.07) | 0.86 (0.48–1.54) |
| Diploma or higher | 171 (67.3) | 83 (32.7) | 0.77 (0.51–1.16) | 0.94 (0.50–1.77) |
| Residence | ||||
| Live with parents | 719 (67.6) | 345 (32.4) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Live with relatives | 130 (72.6) | 49 (27.4) | 0.79 (0.55–1.12) | 0.64 (0.43–0.95)* |
| Stay at dormitory/rental apartment | 83 (67.5) | 40 (32.5) | 1.00 (0.67–1.50) | 0.96 (0.59–1.57) |
| School area | ||||
| In Luang Prabang City | 758 (66.7) | 379 (33.3) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Outside Luang Prabang City | 174 (76.0) | 55 (24.0) | 0.63 (0.46–0.88)** | 0.59 (0.38–0.91)* |
| Menstruation knowledge level | ||||
| Good knowledge | 133 (70.0) | 57 (30.0) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Some knowledge | 567 (67.4) | 274 (32.6) | 1.13 (0.80–1.59) | 1.33 (0.91–1.94) |
| Poor knowledge | 232 (69.3) | 103 (30.7) | 1.04 (0.70–1.53) | 1.45 (0.94–2.23) |
| Mood and emotion during menstruation | ||||
| None, I feel no change | 216 (79.1) | 57 (20.9) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Stress, irritated, and anxious | 716 (65.5) | 377 (34.5) | 2.00 (1.45–2.74)*** | 1.55 (1.09–2.20)* |
| Dysmenorrheal management | ||||
| No pain or mild pain (use nothing) | 207 (85.5) | 35 (14.5) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Painful, took painkillers | 121 (54.8) | 100 (45.2) | 4.89 (3.13–7.63)*** | 4.79 (2.96–7.76)*** |
| Painful, used other methodsa | 604 (66.9) | 299 (33.1) | 2.93 (1.99–4.30)*** | 2.82 (1.86–4.28)*** |
| Do you try to avoid using toilets at school? | ||||
| No | 345 (71.4) | 138 (28.6) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Yes | 587 (66.5) | 296 (33.5) | 1.26 (0.99–1.61) | 1.19 (0.88–1.60) |
| Do you try to avoid changing pads at school? | ||||
| No | 220 (72.1) | 85 (27.9) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Yes | 712 (67.1) | 349 (32.9) | 1.27 (0.96–1.68) | 1.16 (0.82–1.64) |
| Type of absorbent materials | ||||
| Disposable pads only | 901 (68.3) | 419 (31.7) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Othersb | 31 (67.4) | 15 (32.6) | 1.04 (0.56–1.95) | 0.98 (0.45–2.15) |
| Frequency of changing pads | ||||
| Two times or more | 852 (68.0) | 401 (32.0) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| One time only | 80 (70.8) | 33 (29.2) | 0.88 (0.57–1.34) | 0.82 (0.50–1.32) |
| Mode of pad disposal (for disposable pad users) | ||||
| Only throw in waste bins at the school (both inside and outside school toilet) | 539 (70.1) | 230 (29.9) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Othersc | 340 (66.8) | 169 (33.2) | 1.17 (0.92–1.48) | 1.34 (1.03–1.75)* |
| Commercial pad accessibility | ||||
| Easily accessible | 750 (67.9) | 355 (32.1) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Some difficulties | 182 (69.7) | 79 (30.3) | 0.92 (0.68–1.23) | 0.91 (0.65–1.28) |
OR, odds ratio; AOR, adjusted odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.
aOther methods refers to traditional medicines, hot pack on the stomach, and/or two or more methods combined.
bOthers refers to reusable pads, cloths, or disposable pads and reusable pads combined.
cOthers refers to throwing in the toilet bowl, bringing home, burning, and throwing away pads in open areas, bushes, and others.
*P < 0.05,
**P < 0.01,
***P < 0.001.
9,453 LAK = 1 USD as of June 4, 2021.