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Survey study, 2025

Is meal skipping linked to premenstrual syndrome?

There was a significant association between meal skipping and premenstrual syndrome (p=0.016), with women who skip meals regularly having stronger association with worse PMS. However, the study cannot determine whether skipping meals causes PMS or if PMS causes eating changes.

Moderate study design 400 women aged 18-30 at educational institutions in Lahore, Pakistan

What they did

Cross-sectional study of 400 young women aged 18-30 at educational institutions in Lahore, Pakistan. Self-administered meal skipping questionnaire and Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PMSS) were used to assess dietary patterns and PMS symptoms.

What they found

There was a statistically significant positive association between premenstrual syndrome and meal skipping (p=0.016). Women who skip meals regularly showed greater association with PMS, and dietary habits appeared to influence symptom intensity. The study concluded that frequent meal skipping among young women causes major health issues and is significantly linked to premenstrual syndrome severity.

What it means for you

Dietary patterns may be a modifiable factor that influences premenstrual syndrome severity, which could offer a simple intervention target. However, the study is cross-sectional so we cannot determine whether skipping meals causes PMS or whether PMS causes eating pattern changes. Results are limited to young women in one city in Pakistan.

0.016

p-value for meal skipping and PMS association

400

women studied

18-30

age range in years

About the study

Original title
Association Between Meal Skipping and Premenstrual Syndrome Among Young Females
Authors
Rimsha Malik, Isha Anwar, Mashta Ikram
Journal
Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences
Year
2025
Study design
Survey study
What was tested
None - association study
Open access
Yes
Original abstract

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is the combination of physical, emotional, psychological and behavioural issues related to many symptoms. Due to which female are unable to perform their tasks. Somehow, PMS is linked with poor eating patterns and lifestyle. Modification in these things has seen lower prevalence in young female. Objective: To check the association between meal skipping and PMS in young females. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among young female of the age group 18 to 30 at different educational institutions in Lahore. The target sample size of the study was 400 female. The data were gathered using a questionnaire sampling technique. A self-administered meal skipping questionnaire was used to check the dietary pattern, while the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale (PMSS) was used to examine the presence of PMS symptoms. After data collection, statistical analysis was done to find the results. Results: The p-value was 0.016, which was a significant level that indicates a positive association between PMS and meal skipping. Research revealed a significant link (p=0.016) between skipping meals and the severity of PMS symptoms, implying that dietary habits may influence symptom intensity. Conclusions: It was concluded that young adults, especially female, skip meals more frequently due to various reasons, which causes major health issues. It was seen that female who skip meals regularly have a more prominent association with premenstrual syndrome.

Reproduced under CC-BY.

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