Frequently Asked Questions

General

Architecture for Menstrual Health Indicators (AiMHI) is a collaborative project that generates, fosters, and translates rigorous evidence to inform investment and action for improving menstrual health.

AiMHI is designed for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, advocates, donors, monitoring and evaluation professionals, and anyone working to improve menstrual health. The website provides access to menstrual health indicators, data sources, evidence, guidance, training materials, and learning resources that can support research, policy development, program design, monitoring, and investment decisions.

Questions about AiMHI resources and activities are welcome through the website contact form. However, inquiries regarding academic supervision, mentoring, PhD opportunities, internships, employment, or individual research collaborations should be directed to the relevant researcher or institution. AiMHI is not able to coordinate or respond to these requests on behalf of individual team members or contributors.

MHH Priority Indicators and Monitoring

Adequate and validated menstrual health indicators are essential for tracking progress in addressing menstrual health as an important health, education, gender equality, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issue. The Priority MHH Indicators were developed to provide a common framework for monitoring key domains of menstrual health, enabling more consistent data collection, greater comparability across countries, and stronger evidence to inform policy, programs, advocacy, and investment.

The Priority MHH Indicators were developed through a collaborative process led by a global group of menstrual health experts in consultation with national stakeholders and monitoring experts. The process began by identifying priority domains for monitoring menstrual health. Existing indicators, measures, and data sources were then reviewed and mapped, followed by an assessment of their relevance, usefulness, quality, and feasibility. Stakeholders and experts from four exemplar countries contributed to the review and refinement process, resulting in a consensus-based short list of 21 Priority MHH Indicators designed to support consistent national and global monitoring.

A detailed description of the methods used to develop the Priority MHH Indicators is available in Annex 1 of the Priority List of Indicators for Girls’ Menstrual Health and Hygiene: Technical Guidance for National Monitoring, and the full list of contributors can be viewed in Annex 5.

The Priority MHH Indicators were developed primarily for adolescent girls in and out of school, as this is the population for which the strongest evidence base currently exists. The indicators are intended to support national monitoring of menstrual health and hygiene among adolescent girls across a range of settings.

Some indicators and measures may be adapted and tested for use with adult women and other populations, as appropriate. When adapting the indicators for different populations, contexts, or age groups, users should carefully assess the relevance of each measure and consider any needed testing, translation, or contextual adaptation.

Yes. While the Short List of Priority MHH Indicators is intended for national and global level monitoring, indicators from the short list may also be integrated into research and programs undertaken by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or other stakeholders, as appropriate. Harmonizing indicators and measures across different stakeholders and contexts can strengthen the MHH evidence base. To learn more, review our guidance: Integrating MHH indicators from the short list into research and program monitoring.

No, you do not need permission to use the MHH Priority Indicators. We do ask that you cite the indicators if publishing on their use in academic or gray literature. You can use the citation listed below, which also appears on page 2 of the technical guidance.

Recommended citation:Priority List of Indicators for Girls’ Menstrual Health and Hygiene: Technical Guidance for National Monitoring. (2022). Global MHH Monitoring Group. Columbia University. New York.

No. The Priority MHH Indicators were developed as a recommended starting point for monitoring menstrual health and hygiene, and countries, programs, and researchers can select and adapt indicators based on their priorities, systems, and data needs. The priority indicators are intended to support consistent monitoring while remaining flexible for different contexts. Users may choose a subset of indicators based on their objectives, target population, available resources, and existing data collection systems.

However, using as many of the recommended indicators as possible can help improve comparability across contexts and contribute to a stronger global evidence base for menstrual health.

The technical guidance for the Priority MHH Indicators is currently available in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Bengali, and summary guidance is available in English, Portuguese, Mandarin, Russian, and Bahasa Indonesia. Users considering adoption in a new context should review available translations and assess whether further adaptation and testing is needed for their population and setting.