New Scale Offers Breakthrough in Fight to End Period Poverty

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – May 28, 2026 – In a landmark development for public health and social equity, researchers have validated the first-ever standardized tool to measure period product insecurity, a pervasive issue that has long remained in the shadows. The Van Ness Period Product Insecurity Scale (VNPPIS), detailed in a recent publication in the journal Women's Health, provides a scientifically rigorous method to quantify the struggle to afford menstrual products, a problem that the Alliance for Period Supplies estimates affects two in five people who menstruate in the United States.

This breakthrough offers advocates and legislators a powerful new asset: concrete data. For years, the fight against period poverty has relied on anecdotal evidence and disparate studies. Now, with the VNPPIS, stakeholders can accurately measure the scope of the problem, assess the effectiveness of interventions, and build a stronger, evidence-based case for policy change.

The scale is the work of Dr. Kels M. Bowman, who developed it as part of her doctoral dissertation at Duke University. Her research not only establishes a method for measurement but also reinforces the profound, and often hidden, consequences of this specific form of material hardship.

The Hidden Toll of Insecurity

Period product insecurity is more than an inconvenience; it is a critical public health issue with deep-seated consequences for economic stability, education, and mental well-being. While the Alliance for Period Supplies reports that 40% of menstruators have faced this struggle, Dr. Bowman's validation study provides a more granular view, finding that between 18% and 20% of people who purchase menstrual products reported difficulty affording them in the past year.

The research also drew a direct and troubling line between period product insecurity and mental health. The study revealed a significant correlation between the inability to afford period products and an elevated risk for symptoms of both depression and anxiety. Notably, this connection was found to be a stronger predictor of poor mental health outcomes than even food insecurity, highlighting the unique stress and shame associated with this basic need.

This hardship is often compounded in households where multiple people menstruate, forcing families to make impossible choices between essential items. The inability to access products can lead to missed days of school and work, perpetuating cycles of poverty and limiting opportunities for advancement. The development of a tool to accurately capture these experiences is the first step toward dismantling the barriers they create.

A Tool Forged in Legacy and Science

The Van Ness Period Product Insecurity Scale is named in honor of Susan Van Ness, a beloved nonprofit leader and former Chief of Programs at the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN), who tragically died in a plane crash in 2024. Van Ness was an early and ardent supporter of Dr. Bowman's work, becoming a crucial mentor after they met during Bowman's undergraduate internship at the network.

"She was my biggest fan before I had a lot of fans," Bowman recalled in a statement. The scale serves as a lasting tribute to Van Ness's dedication to addressing basic needs and her belief in the power of research to drive social change.

Designed for both rigor and practicality, the VNPPIS comes in two forms. A seven-item "gold standard" version is intended for in-depth academic research, while a four-item short form is tailored for use by community organizations, schools, and clinics where time and resources are limited. Both scales are designed to measure four key domains of the experience: access and affordability, the psychological burden of worry, coping strategies employed, and the tangible consequences of insecurity.

"The VNPPIS allows us to measure period product insecurity in a way that includes both people who use period products and people who purchase them for others they live with," said Dr. Kelley Massengale, Director of Research & Statistics at NDBN. "Bowman's work shines a light on period product insecurity as a multidimensional experience."

Turning Data into Dignity and Policy

The arrival of a validated measurement tool comes at a critical moment for the menstrual equity movement. Advocacy has been gaining momentum across the country, with significant legislative efforts at both the state and federal levels. As of early 2026, 32 states have eliminated the sales tax on menstrual products, and 27 states have passed laws requiring free products in schools.

At the federal level, the Menstrual Equity for All Act, championed by Congresswoman Grace Meng, seeks to enact comprehensive change. The bill proposes requiring free products in federal buildings, correctional facilities, and schools; allowing Medicaid to cover product costs; and mandating that large employers provide them in workplaces. However, demonstrating the need for and impact of such sweeping legislation requires robust data—exactly what the VNPPIS is designed to provide.

"Policymakers rightly want to see how effective a program is when they devote public funds to it. Now we can show them," explained Lacey Gero, Chief of Government Relations for the National Diaper Bank Network. By using the scale to conduct baseline assessments and post-intervention follow-ups, organizations can prove the efficacy of everything from community distribution programs to statewide mandates.

This ability to generate hard evidence is expected to galvanize the movement, transforming passionate advocacy into data-driven policy proposals that are harder to ignore. By quantifying the problem and its solutions, the VNPPIS equips leaders with the information needed to allocate resources effectively and enact laws that ensure no one's health, education, or dignity is compromised by a lack of access to basic necessities.