Comparison between the lifestyles of university students with and without premenstrual syndromes

Authors

  • Sedigheh Amir Ali Akbari Ph.D., Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Keywords:

Lifestyle, Perceived stress, Premenstrual syndromes, Unhealthy behaviors, Nutrition

Abstract

Introduction: Premenstrual syndrome is a common disorder in reproductive age and it is associated with decreased quality of life in women. In view of various factors contributing to outbreak of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) among women, the present study intended to compare lifestyles of university students with and without premenstrual syndromes living in dormitories of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 2015.

Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 200 university students with and without PMS from students living in dormitories. Data were collected using questionnaires of premenstrual symptoms, questionnaires for diet, perceived stress, and unhealthy behavior. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, and logistic regression in SPSS version 23. 

Results: The results showed that nutrition style (p=0.001), perceived stress (p=0.001), and exposure to passive tobacco smoke (p=0.001) were different between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that nutrition style (p=0.001, OR=0.861), exposure to passive tobacco smoke (p=0.008, OR=2.059), and stress (p=0.001, OR=1.088) were different in both groups.

Conclusion: The research results proved that lifestyle, especially healthy eating habits, and decreasing stress and unhealthy behavior can influence PMS. Therefore, interventions are recommended to improve PMS symptoms.

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Published

2022-01-18

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