Period Poverty and Barriers to Menstrual Health Equity in U.S. Menstruating College Students: A Scoping Review

Objectives: This scoping review aims to fill research gaps by exploring four guiding research questions. First, we aim to understand the major barriers encountered by U.S. menstruating college students in accessing menstrual health products at their educational institutions, households, and community. Second, we aim to identify social determinants of health (SDoH) that significantly influence and contribute to menstrual health inequities experienced by U.S. college students. Third, we aim to explore the measurement tools that have been used to assess menstrual health inequities experienced by U.S. menstruating college students. Lastly, we aim to determine the lessons learned and recommendations to improve overall menstrual health outcomes in U.S. menstruating college students. Study Design: This scoping review followed the Arksey and O’Malley framework (2005) and incorporated recommendations from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) for the extraction, analysis, and presentation of results. Methods: The four databases searched were PubMed, Embase (Ovid), Web of Science, and Cochrane Library (Medline). Included articles were (1) published between 2000 and 2023, (2) focused on menstruating college students in the United States, (3) addressed menstrual health, menstrual equity, and period poverty in college campuses in the U.S., and/or (4) explored challenges encountered by menstruating college students in accessing menstrual health products. Results: A total of seven studies were retained for assessment. The most frequently cited Healthy People 2030 categories were economic stability ( n = 5) and social and community context ( n = 5). The most-cited barriers were sorted into the “Financial Constraints and Accessibility” ( n = 13) theme category. Conclusions: Our study highlights practical applications and several recommendations for the future design, adoption, implementation, and evaluation of effective evidence-based interventions to address period poverty and subsequent barriers imposed by menstruating college students specific SDoH. More research is needed to further explore the health implications of menstrual health on mental, physical, and socioeconomic outcomes of menstruating individuals, particularly young adults experiencing different challenges as they venture into college and build their careers.