Prevalence and Correlation between Diet and Dysmenorrhea among High School and College Students in Saint Vincent and Grenadines
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2019.205Keywords:
Dysmenorrhea, Menstrual pain, Sugar, Diet, LifestyleAbstract
BACKGROUND: Dysmenorrhea occurs as one of the symptoms of menstruation. While not necessarily a condition that plagues every woman, it is known to cause significant distress. Absenteeism from school and work as well as general discomfort are some of its adverse effects.
AIM: This study aims to investigate the effects of certain diets on the prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea.
METHODS: Questionnaires was given to 478 women ranging from ages 1-55. The survey was centred around the age of menarche, presence and incidence of dysmenorrhea as well as how it is related to certain diets.
RESULTS: Majority of the participants (81.74%) belonged to the age groups of 11-15 and 16-20. 45.5% of the participants attested to dysmenorrhea at each menstrual cycle. statistical correlation between diet and dysmenorrhea was insignificant (p > 0.05). Consumption of caffeinated beverages correlated with dysmenorrhea (p < 0.05). Although not statistically significant (p > 0.05), the study reported dysmenorrhea in a large proportion of participants who consumed high quantities of sugars.
CONCLUSION: No relationship was established between diet and the incidence and severity of dysmenorrhea amongst the sample screened in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. However, it appears that diet high in sugars might benefit from further research.
Downloads
Metrics
Plum Analytics Artifact Widget Block
References
Balbi C, Musone R, Menditto A, Di Prisco L, Cassese E, D'Ajello M, et al. Influence of menstrual factors and dietary habits on menstrual pain in adolescence age. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2000; 91(2):143–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-2115(99)00277-8
Harel Z. Dysmenorrhea in adolescents. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2008; 1135:185–95. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1429.007 PMid:18574224
Aktaş D. Prevalence and Factors Affecting Dysmenorrhea in Female University Students: Effect on General Comfort Level. Pain Manag Nurs. 2015; 16(4):534–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2014.10.004 PMid:26256218
Tavallaee M, Joffres MR, Corber SJ, Bayanzadeh M, Rad MM. The prevalence of menstrual pain and associated risk factors among Iranian women. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2011; 37(5):442–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0756.2010.01362.x PMid:21208343
Harel Z. A Contemporary Approach to Dysmenorrhea in Adolescents. Springer Link. 2002; 4(12):797–805. https://doi.org/10.2165/00128072-200204120-00004
Nagata C, Hirokawa K, Shimizu N, Shimizu H. Associations of menstrual pain with intakes of soy, fat and dietary fiber in Japanese women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2005; 59(1):88–92. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602042 PMid:15340367
Zarei S, Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi S, Mirghafourvand M, Javadzadeh Y, Effati-Daryani F. Effects of calcium-vitamin D and calcium alone on pain intensity and menstrual blood loss in women with primary dysmenorrhea: A randomized controlled trial. Pain Med (United States). 2016; 18(1):3–13. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnw121 PMid:27296057
Nagata C, Hirokawa K, Shimizu N, Shimizu H. Soy, fat and other dietary factors in relation to premenstrual symptoms in Japanese women. BJOG An Int J Obstet Gynaecol. 2004; 111(6):594–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.2004.00130.x PMid:15198788
Osayande AS, Mehulic S. Diagnosis and initial management of dysmenorrhea. Am Fam Physician. 2014; 89(5):341-6. PMid:24695505
Iacovides S, Avidon I, Bentley A, Baker FC. Reduced quality of life when experiencing menstrual pain in women with primary dysmenorrhea. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2014; 93(2):213–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.12287 PMid:24266425
Gagua T, Tkeshelashvili B, Gagua D. Primer dismenore: Tiflis, Gürcistan' in adolesan populasyonunda prevalans ve risk faktörleri. J Turkish Ger Gynecol Assoc. 2012; 13(3):162–8. https://doi.org/10.5152/jtgga.2012.21 PMid:24592031 PMCid:PMC3939234
Helwa HAA, Mitaeb AA, Al-Hamshri S, Sweileh WM. Prevalence of dysmenorrhea and predictors of its pain intensity among Palestinian female university students, 2018. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5769430/pdf/12905_2018_Article_516.pdf
Najafi N, Khalkhali H, Moghaddam Tabrizi F, Zarrin R. Major dietary patterns in relation to menstrual pain: a nested case control study. BMC Womens Health. 2018; 18(1):69. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-018-0558-4 PMid:29783972 PMCid:PMC5963185
Ju H, Jones M, Mishra G. The prevalence and risk factors of dysmenorrhea. Epidemiologic reviews, 2013. PMid:24284871
Ozerdogan N, Sayiner D, Ayranci U, Unsal A, Giray S. Prevalence and predictors of dysmenorrhea among students at a university in Turkey; Prevalence and predictors of dysmenorrhea among students at a university in Turkey, 2009.
Faramarzi M, Hajar S, Salmalian H. Association of Psychologic and Nonpsychologic Factors With Primary Dysmenorrhea. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2014; 16(8):16307. https://doi.org/10.5812/ircmj.16307 PMid:25389482 PMCid:PMC4222008
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2019 Ifure Monday, Precious Anthony, Esther Olunu, David Otohinoyi, Silas Abiodun, Akinyomade Owolabi, Blessing Mobolaji, Adegbenro Omotuyi John Fakoya
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0