{
  "abstract": "Understanding girls’ lived experiences with menstruation is essential yet can be challenging given the taboo nature of the topic. While diaries have not previously been employed as a data collection method among girls in this setting, the use of diaries could generate unique insights due to their private, reflective, and participant-led nature. Our study aimed to explore the menstrual health and hygiene experiences of schoolgirls in Burkina Faso, comparing diaries and in-person interviews, and to capture girls’ thoughts on the process and value (or lack thereof) of diary writing. This study involved 30 girls aged 10–19 years to understand their experiences of menstruation. Data were analyzed using inductive and deductive approaches within a systematic thematic analysis framework, supported by NVivo 12 pro. Common social meanings attached to menarche include “becoming a woman” and “staying away from boys”. Bullying, stigma, and inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities were identified as major challenges in schools. For some, the diary provided a safe space to express their thoughts and share their menstruation stories. However, challenges with diary writing included its additional workload, limitations linked to language proficiency and writing ability, and perceptions of the diaries as being repetitive in terms of questions. Diaries and IDIs generated similar menstruation-related themes, indicating that they are equally effective in capturing experiences on this topic among this respondent group in this setting. Our study reinforces the need to support schoolgirls in achieving menstrual health and wellbeing. Efforts should prioritize promoting education across communities to mitigate the impact of cultural and religious restrictions. In contexts where participants have limited writing and language proficiency, future studies may consider alternative methods that nevertheless facilitate privacy and are respondent-driven, such as audio diaries. Further research could benefit from adopting either method of data collection to fit the contextual needs of participants.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany",
    "Madrilenian Health Service, Madrid, Spain",
    "Nouna Health Research Centre, Namory Kéita, Nouna, Burkina Faso",
    "Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Health, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Muntinlupa, Philippines",
    "School of Global Health, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, Canada",
    "Chair of Development Economics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Temidayo Akinreni"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Teresa Buitrago-García"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "N. Hélène Sawadogo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Aurélia Souares"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Mark Donald C Reñosa"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Kerry Scott"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ali Sié"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sarah Langlotz"
    },
    {
      "name": "Till Bärnighausen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shannon A McMahon"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a429m2tmhdz34.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pgph.0006804",
  "fulltext_url": "https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006804",
  "id": "a429m2tmhdz34",
  "issns": [
    "2767-3375"
  ],
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  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2739|Menstrual Health and Disorders"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive science/Cognitive psychology/Language"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Endocrine physiology/Menstrual cycle/Menarche"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Physiology/Reproductive physiology/Menstrual cycle/Menarche"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Psychology/Cognitive psychology/Language"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Endocrinology/Endocrine physiology/Menstrual cycle/Menarche"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Public and occupational health/Hygiene"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Women's health/Maternal health/Pregnancy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Medicine and health sciences/Women's health/Obstetrics and gynecology/Pregnancy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Population groupings/Families/Mothers"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Research design/Qualitative studies"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Anthropology/Cultural anthropology/Religion"
    ],
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      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Psychology/Cognitive psychology/Language"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Sociology/Education/Schools"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Sociology/Religion"
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  ],
  "openalex": "W7212245809",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006804&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-11",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a429m2tmhdz34.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pgph.0006804",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006804"
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  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
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    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:physiology",
      "subfield": "physiology"
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    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "plos:women's health",
      "subfield": "reproductive-child"
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  ],
  "title": "Youth insights on menstrual health and hygiene in Burkina Faso; a comparison of written versus spoken qualitative text",
  "title_text": "Youth insights on menstrual health and hygiene in Burkina Faso; a comparison of written versus spoken qualitative text",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a429m2tmhdz34",
  "venue": "PLOS Global Public Health",
  "versions": []
}