Prevalence of Dysmenorrhea, its Effect on Class Attendance and Treatment Pattern Among Medical, Nursing and Para-Medical Female Students of a University in Etawah District
Keywords:
Dysmenorrhea, Prevalence, Menstrual Pain, Painful Menstruation, Female studentsAbstract
Background: Dysmenorrhea is defined as cramping pain in the lower
abdomen occurring just before or during menstruation. Primary
dysmenorrhea is responsible for significant loss of class/ work attendance.
Many studies have also reported that self-medication is common among
female students. Hence this study was undertaken to assess the scenario
in medical, nursing, and paramedical female students.
Aims and Objectives: We conducted this study to determine the
prevalence of dysmenorrhea and assess its associated symptoms, loss
of class attendance, and the treatment pattern among female students
pursuing medical, nursing, and paramedical courses.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on the female students
pursuing medical, nursing, and paramedical courses at a university in
Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh. A structured questionnaire was used to
collect the data and analyzed using SPSS version 24 (IBM, Chicago, USA).
Result: A total of 786 female students participated in the study. A high
prevalence (77%) of dysmenorrhea was reported. Of the students with
dysmenorrhea, only 41 sought medical help while 269 self-medicated
for the pain; the most consumed painkiller was found to be Mefenamic
acid+ Dicyclomine HCL. The family history (X2 = 17.2, P-value <0.001)
and academic performance (X2 =80.8, P-value<0.001) were significantly
associated with dysmenorrhea.
Conclusion: The findings of this research establish dysmenorrhea as
a serious public health problem. It contributes to absenteeism and
impairs everyday tasks, resulting in low academic achievement. Due to
the widespread availability of over-the-counter medications, only few
women seek medical counsel.
How to cite this article:
Takhelchangbam N, Agarwal T, Saxena D,
Pathak P, Soni K, Jain PK, Singh NP. Prevalence
of Dysmenorrhea, Its Effect on Class Attendance
and Treatment Pattern Among Medical, Nursing
and Para-Medical Female Students of a University
in Etawah District. Int J HealthCare Edu & Med
Inform. 2021;8(3):8-13.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2455.9199.202105
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Copyright (c) 2021 Nilima Takhelchangbam, Tanya Agarwal, Deepanshi Saxena, Pooja Pathak, Kanchan Soni, Naresh Pal Singh, Pankaj Kumar Jain
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