A 2024 study titled “Period Poverty Among Adolescent Girls in Miami, Florida” shines a light on how widespread and consequential these struggles are for young people in one of America’s most diverse cities. This isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s a barrier to education, health, dignity, and opportunity.
Access at Home Is Not Guaranteed
- The study found that 58% of adolescents did not have enough menstrual products available at home during the past year.
- Many reported relying on friends, family, or makeshift alternatives (toilet paper, rags, etc.) when their supplies ran out.
Frequency & Coping Strategies
- Girls said that “every month or almost every month,” they resorted to asking family/friends for products.
- The recurrence suggests that this is not a one-off emergency but a recurring pattern, reinforcing systemic inequality.
Impacts on School, Health & Stress
Although the article abstract doesn’t fully disclose all downstream effects, the data suggests implications for:
- Absenteeism or skipping classes when supplies run out or become inadequate
- Emotional stress or shame from being unable to manage safely
- Health risks due to prolonged use of suboptimal alternatives
Given what we know from other U.S. studies, these consequences often ripple into mental health and academic performance.
Why These Findings Are Important
- Period poverty is not just rural or foreign Even urban adolescents, in the heart of a major U.S. metro, struggle with fundamental menstrual equity. Miami’s high cost of living, income disparity, and diverse population help underscore how period poverty intersects with socioeconomic inequality.
- It’s a systemic, recurring issue The fact that more than half of the participants experienced supply insufficiency regularly suggests that interventions must be structural — not just emergency respite.
- Equity & racial justice dimensions Miami is one of the most ethnically and racially diverse U.S. cities. Period poverty here likely overlaps with racial, immigration, language, and access disparities that compound barriers for girls from marginalized communities.
Broader U.S. Trends — What Adolescent Studies Tell Us
- A 2024 survey by AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) noted that 1 in 3 teens visiting emergency departments report difficulty accessing menstrual products. American Academy of Pediatrics
- Nationally, about 14.2% of U.S. college students reported period poverty in the past year (borrowing supplies, going without, etc.). PMC
- Broader analyses (e.g. Brookings) show that period poverty in the U.S. disproportionately affects Black, Brown, and low-income communities, reflecting structural inequities in access. Brookings+1
So, while the Miami study is geographically specific, it echoes national patterns: adolescents and young women face unpredictable or inadequate access even in wealthy nations
Source:
Marquez E, et al. Period Poverty Among Adolescent Girls in Miami, Florida. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. 2024. JPAG Online+1
