Submitted:
27 October 2025
Posted:
29 October 2025
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Abstract
Keywords:
Background
Implementation and National Coverage
Integration within SUS
Addressing Equity and Inclusion
Logic Model: A National–Global Research and Delivery Ecosystem for Menstrual Health
Conceptual Framework: Equity-Centred Data and Research Architecture
Structural and Policy Layer
Health System Layer (SUS Integration)
Community and Service Environment Layer
Individual and Household Layer
Data and Research Layer (Cross-Cutting Enabler)
Governance and Partnership for Global Readiness
Data and Accountability
Interpretation and Way Forward
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgements
Conflicts of interest
References
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| Element | What it includes | Exemplars for Brazil | Measurable indicators |
| Inputs | Political mandate; interministerial governance; SUS primary care and Farmácia Popular networks; CadÚnico and Meu SUS Digital rails; IBGE and school WASH datasets; ethics/IRB capacity; academic consortia; civil-society and youth groups; secure data infrastructure and analytics capacity | Ministry of Health, Education, Justice, Human Rights; municipal health secretariats; universities; community health workers; UNICEF/UNFPA collaborations | Annual programme budget; number of accredited dispensing points per 10,000 girls 10–19; IRB turnaround time; number of trained field researchers; active data-sharing agreements |
| Activities | Standardise national research core set; strengthen sampling frames; integrate routine data with periodic surveys; mixed-methods studies; school-based WASH auditsa; equity-focused implementation research; capacity-building for data management and open science; translation to policy briefs; global study alignment | Annual school and UBS sentinel sites; qualitative panels with Indigenous and quilombola communities; pragmatic trials on access pathways; data stewardship training; pre-registration of protocols | Proportion of studies using the national core set; share of studies with pre-registered protocols; number of sentinel schools/UBS per region; proportion of projects with community co-production plans |
| Outputs | Curated, de-identified datasets; harmonised indicators; disaggregated dashboards; validated survey tools in Portuguese and Indigenous languages; technical reports; policy briefs; open code repositories; co-authored publications with subnational data | Menstrual-health observatory; Git-hosted codebooks and analysis scripts; bilingual instrument library | Datasets published to an open catalogue; median data release latency; number of instruments validated; number of policy briefs tabled in interministerial meetings |
| Short-term outcomes (1–2 years) | Complete, comparable coverage and equity metrics; reduced administrative exclusion; better targeting in low-pharmacy and remote municipalities; improved school WASH remediation plans | UBS dispensing added where pharmacy density is low; offline authorisation via CHWs; published WASH remediation timelines | Authorisations issued and redeemed per 1,000 eligible, by age, race/colour, disability, municipality; stock-out rate; school WASH adequacy score; absenteeism due to menstruation |
| Medium-term outcomes (3–5 years) | More representative national research portfolio; Brazil enrolled in multi-country consortia with interoperable data; routine use of findings in policy; decline in stigma and missed school/work days | Brazil leading a regional node for Latin America; pooled analyses with standard metadata | Share of studies with intersectional disaggregation; proportion of global trials including Brazilian sites; effect sizes for reduced absenteeism and improved well-being |
| Impact (5+ years) | Menstrual dignity embedded in universal health coverage; resilient, equitable systems; Brazil recognised as a global evidence leader; transferable methods adopted by other LMICs | Sustainable financing line, enduring observatory, standing global collaborations | Reduction in inequity gaps between North/Northeast and South/Southeast on key indicators; independent evaluations showing sustained coverage and quality |
| Domain | Components | Purpose and Expected Outcomes |
| Mechanisms of Change and Evidence Pathways | Coverage pathway – eligibility → authorisation → redemption → continuity of supply | Ensure eligible individuals receive timely, continuous access to menstrual products, minimising drop-off points. |
| Usability pathway – products + WASH + disposal + privacy | Improve safe and dignified menstrual management, reduce infections and stigma, and increase school attendance and participation. | |
| Equity pathway – intersectional identification of barriers and tailored delivery | Reduce regional and demographic disparities through targeted service delivery via UBS, schools, and community health workers. | |
| Learning pathway – routine dashboards, sentinel studies, mixed-methods research | Enable adaptive programme management through continuous, real-time feedback loops. | |
| Globalisation pathway – adoption of common data dictionaries and metadata standards | Position Brazil to participate in multi-country research and align with global menstrual health datasets. | |
| Core Indicators and Measurement Standards | Access and continuity – authorisations issued and redeemed per 1,000 eligible; median time from eligibility to first redemption; refill regularity; stock-outs per site-month | Measure programme reach, timeliness, and supply chain reliability. |
| Equity – disaggregation by age, race/colour, region, municipality, disability, school enrolment, migration status, socioeconomic deprivation | Identify inequities and monitor whether vulnerable populations are being reached. | |
| Usability and environment – school WASH adequacy index, safe disposal availability, travel time to dispensing points or UBS, digital access proxies | Assess environmental factors influencing menstrual product use and programme usability. | |
| Outcomes – menstruation-related absenteeism, self-reported stigma, infection proxies, validated quality-of-life scales in Portuguese and Indigenous languages | Track health, social, and educational outcomes linked to menstrual health. | |
| Data quality – completeness, timeliness, concordance across sources, pre-registered protocols, reproducible code availability | Ensure high-quality, transparent, and reliable data. | |
| Study Designs and Data Architecture | Sentinel surveillance – stratified schools and UBS with oversampling of remote and marginalised populations | Generate real-time, representative data across diverse geographies and communities. |
| Periodic population surveys – rotating panels with intersectional modules, using mixed modes (in-person, phone, digital) | Capture longitudinal trends and reduce exclusion through flexible data collection methods. | |
| Implementation research – pragmatic trials comparing delivery models and WASH-linked interventions | Evaluate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different service models, focusing on school absenteeism and participation. | |
| Qualitative inquiry – longitudinal ethnographic studies and youth advisory panels | Understand social norms, stigma, and lived experiences to refine interventions. | |
| Data linkage – privacy-preserving connections between dispensing, primary care, school health, and WASH data | Enable comprehensive analyses without moving raw, sensitive data. | |
| Open science practices – pre-registration, publicly archived analytic code, de-identified datasets | Promote transparency, reproducibility, and international collaboration. |
| Priority | Concrete actions | Success indicators |
| National core indicator set | Publish a harmonised dictionary, disaggregation rules, and survey modules; mandate use in funded studies | ≥80% of new studies adopt the core set; inter-study comparability achieved |
| Sentinel network and dashboards | Establish sentinel sites in schools and UBS across all macro-regions; develop public dashboards with equity disaggregation | Dashboards refreshed monthly; measurable reductions in equity gaps |
| Inclusive delivery models | Introduce UBS on-site dispensing; enable offline authorisation by community health workers; provide transport vouchers in low-density areas | Redemption parity between remote and urban municipalities; reduced travel time |
| WASH-linked integration | Link product provision to school WASH audits and remediation funds; develop standard disposal protocols | Increase in schools meeting WASH standards; decline in menstruation-related absenteeism |
| Ethics, privacy, and open science | Develop data protection frameworks; use federated analytics; promote pre-registration and open data practices | Faster data-sharing agreements; higher proportion of pre-registered studies |
| Global interoperability | Align indicators and metadata with global research standards; contribute to international data repositories | Increase in Brazil’s participation in multi-country projects and publications |
| Workforce and community capacity | Build a national training pipeline for researchers and field teams; establish community and youth co-production panels | Trained researchers per state; proportion of projects with documented co-production plans |
| Action area | Recommended measures |
| Closing the last-mile gap | Introduce on-site dispensing at UBS facilities in areas with few pharmacies. Enable community health workers to generate authorisations offline and support initial product redemption. |
| Linking products to WASH improvements | Integrate funding for upgrading school toilets, water access, and disposal facilities. Conduct regular audits and publish remediation timelines, prioritising the North and Northeast regions. |
| Reducing administrative exclusion | Enhance outreach to register vulnerable populations, including undocumented individuals and migrants. Simplify identification requirements for those in street situations or lacking official documents. |
| Transparent monitoring and reporting | Establish a national dashboard showing coverage rates, demographic disaggregation (age, race, municipality), stock-outs, and supply continuity. Commission independent evaluations of programme impacts on school attendance, infections, and stigma. |
| Strengthening governance and cross-sectoral collaboration | Maintain interministerial coordination, including ministries of Health, Education, Justice, and Human Rights, and extend collaboration to include sanitation and infrastructure sectors. |
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