Menstrual Cups and Cash Transfer to Reduce Sexual and Reproductive Harm and School Dropout in Adolescent Schoolgirls in Western Kenya: a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

Title: Menstrual cups and cash transfer to reduce sexual and reproductive harm and school dropout in adolescent schoolgirls in western Kenya: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Short Title: Cups or cash for girls (CCg) trial

Background and rationale: Adolescence is a critical time of psychological and biological change, and advocacy has increased to identify interventions that protect against sexual and reproductive health (SRH) harms, which are disproportionately high among adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa. In much of eastern and southern Africa including western Kenya, where unprotected transactional sex is common, young females are highly vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, and pregnancy resulting in school dropout. While the burden of young female SRH harms is high for individuals, communities and health services, sustainable preventive interventions are lacking. Evidence of a positive association between girls' education, health and economic potential has strengthened international resolve to improve educational opportunities for adolescent girls. While SRH education has minimal impact on SRH harms, staying in school has shown to protect girls against early marriage, teen pregnancy, and HIV infection, with schoolgirls reporting less frequent sex, and fewer partners with less age disparity. While MDGs focused on primary school attendance, the post-2015 Sustainability Development Goals continue to encourage investment in secondary, tertiary and vocational education to build human capital, innovation and economic growth, but require the support of cost-effective interventions. Interventions using cash transfer (CT) have demonstrated a protective effect on girls SRH (HIV, HSV-2, sexual behaviours, and school indicators). Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is a pervasive problem across low middle income countries (LMICs) and a lack of MHM materials and facilities negatively impact girls' school-life. This increases girls' vulnerability to coercive sex, which often creates a pathway to obtain necessities such as soap, sanitary products, and underwear; 10% of 15 year old girls report that they obtain money through sex to purchase sanitary products in western Kenya. To tackle these challenges, our team ran a pilot menstrual study in western Kenya. It provided MHM tools to adolescent girls in the form of reusable menstrual cups and disposable sanitary pads. The results demonstrated a lower prevalence of STI and bacterial vaginosis among girls who were provided with a single menstrual cup (one cup can last up to 10 years), and a lower prevalence of school dropout after 12 months follow-up compared to controls. This pilot requires replication in a larger trial population with longer follow-up. Comparison against CT offers an opportunity to examine the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these different approaches to improve girls' life-chances in rural western Kenya. The study is designed to inform evidence-based policy to improve girls' health, school equity and their life-chances.

Primary objective: To determine the impact of menstrual cups alone, cash transfer alone, or the two in combination, in secondary schoolgirls on a composite of deleterious outcomes (HIV, HSV-2 infection, or school dropout).

Hypothesis: The investigators postulate the interventions tested will break the cycle of sexual and reproductive ill-health, under-achievement, and poverty which impede girls' successful completion of school.