Table 3

Rationale for prioritised and selected short form (SF) and rapid (R) items relevant to reusing menstrual materials

Reuse itemsSFRPriority. Rationale
29. Did you have enough water to soak or wash your menstrual materials?XXHigh. For shortform, proposed to combine MPNS29 and MPNS32 since the use of soap requires water.
Revised item for shortform ‘Did you have enough water and soap to wash your menstrual materials?’
30. Did you have access to a basin or bucket to soak or wash your menstrual materials whenever you needed it?Low. Having enough water and soap accessible often requires having a washing vessel. MPNS29/32 were prioritised over this item.
31. Were you able to wash your menstrual materials whenever you wanted to?XHigh. Rated as a very important item for reusing materials in cognitive interviews that included girls with experience using reusable materials. Captures the accessibility/availability of washing and potential restriction on time.
32. Did you have enough soap to wash your menstrual materials?High. MPNS29 and MPNS32 combined into a single item for the short form.
33. Were you able to dry your materials when you wanted to?Moderate. This is the only item that captures satisfaction with the experience of drying, rather than worries/concerns. The availability of drying is often impacted by weather and privacy concerns, which are captured by MPNS35 and MPNS36.
34. Were you worried that someone would see you while you were washing your menstrual materials?Moderate. While highly relevant, MPNS31 highlights the availability of washing, which is likely to be impacted by privacy. Reuse items are typically highly correlated across samples. MPNS35 and 36 were preferred.
35. Were you worried that your menstrual materials would not be dry when you needed them?XHigh. This item is impacted by both drying practices (eg, drying under other fabric to hide menstrual materials) but also seasonal weather (eg, wet seasons). Impacts material availability and hygiene if wet materials are reused.
36. Were you worried that others would see your menstrual materials while they were drying?XXHigh. Highly rated by girls in cognitive interviews with experience of reusing materials. Impacts drying hygiene and experience.

  • MPNS, Menstrual Practice Needs Scale.