Barriers to Menstrual Hygiene Management among Junior High School Girls in Ghana: A Scoping Review

This registration documents the protocol for a completed scoping review examining barriers to menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among Junior High School (JHS) girls in Ghana. The review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) framework updated by Levac et al. (2010) and reported using the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Despite a growing body of primary research on MHM in Ghana, no scoping review had previously synthesised evidence specifically for JHS girls. This review addressed that gap by searching five databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, African Journals Online, and Google Scholar) plus grey literature for studies published between January 2010 and May 2026. Thirteen studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final synthesis. Five barrier domains were identified and organised using a socioecological framework: infrastructural barriers (100% of studies), sociocultural and stigma-related barriers (92%), knowledge and information barriers (85%), economic barriers (69%), and policy and institutional barriers (54%). Barriers were mutually reinforcing and co-occurred in the majority of included studies. Findings apply primarily to rural Ghana, particularly the Northern and Volta Regions, where most primary studies have been conducted. The review identifies a significant evidence gap for urban and southern Ghana. Results are intended to inform the Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Health, UNICEF Ghana, and school administrators working to advance menstrual health and gender equity in line with Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 5, and 6. Note: This is a retrospective registration. Data extraction and synthesis were completed prior to registration. The full manuscript is attached as a supplementary file.