Cultural Beliefs About Menstrual Health in Bam City A Qualitative Study

Backgrounds: Menstruation is a natural and physiologic process that is managed based on various sociocultural habits and behaviours. Cultural beliefs about menstruation can improve or prevent menstrual health behaviour. This study aimed to explain the cultural beliefs about menstrual health in Bam City.Material and Method: This is a qualitative study with Directed Content Analysis approach. The participants were 34 individuals including, 14 students, 12 of their mothers, 8 school associates and health educators of 5 secondary schools in Bam city. purposeful sampling method was used until data saturation. Data collection method was in-depth and semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Granehim and Lundman suggested steps.Result: The analysis of data identified 58 initial and conceptual codes, 15 sub- categories and 5 categories from beliefs about menstrual health. Categories included beliefs related to menstruation, beliefs related to menstrual health behaviours, beliefs related to the effect of diet on menstruation, belief in the effect of some specific methods on menstruation, religious beliefs about menstruation.Conclusion: Our findings identified different cultural beliefs about menstruation among participants. So planners should identify these beliefs in order to apply the most appropriate methods for menstrual health management.