EFFECTIVENESS OF AN EDUCATION PROGRAM ON KNOWLEDGE AND SELF CARE PRACTICES OF ADOLESCENT STUDENTS WITH PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME IN ERBIL CITY

Abstract

Background: Pre-menstrual syndrome is recurrent troublesome physical and emotional symptoms that develop 7-14 days before the onset of menstruation and subsides when menstruation occurs. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in intermediate and secondary schools in Kurdistan region from 1st January 2018 to 15th January 2019 to identify the effectiveness of health education programs on adolescent students' knowledge and practices regarding premenstrual syndrome. A purposive sample of 200 students aged 13-20 years was selected. A questionnaire format was constructed. Two hundred students were interviewed to participate in the study and divided into two groups. The educational program was done for the intervention group. Data analysis was done through the use of the statistical package of social science, version 23. Results: The overall students' knowledge concerning premenstrual syndrome after the implementation of educational intervention improved and the percentage increased from 24.1% at pre-test to 56.3% at post-test, while the percentage was not improved in the comparison group. Conclusion: The results revealed the effectiveness of the program in improving the knowledge and practices of students in the intervention group. The study recommends to the Ministry of education that educational programs regarding premenstrual syndrome must be included in the curriculum of the school.