Effect of educational program on premenstrual syndrome in adolescent school girls

Abstract

Background: Premenstrual syndrome is a difficult problem in adolescence as the psychological changes that occur during the adolescent period are often complex and stressful. In this study, we aimed to study the prevalence and severity of premenstrual symptoms in adolescent girls and how effective an educational program is in decreasing the symptom severity in these girls. Methods: An educational program was conducted in two rural and two urban secondary schools of Pondicherry in girls suffering from premenstrual symptoms. We assessed the symptom severity before conducting the educational program (pre-test) and three months following the program (post-test) by using a self-administered semi structured questionnaire. Results: 40.9% of the urban girls and 51.6% of the rural girls were suffering from premenstrual symptoms. We noted a significant decrease in the total PMS scores and all the subscale scores (PMS - A, C, D, H and others) of the students three months after the educational program when compared to the scores before the program. Conclusions: Women with PMS commonly present to their doctor with a self-diagnosis, only when the symptoms severely hamper their day to day activities. We suggest that health education programs regarding PMS and other menstrual problems must be included in the curriculum of secondary schools to bring down the prevalence of such problems. Keywords: