Survey study, 2020
Do rural and urban adolescent girls have different menstrual cycle patterns?
Yes, significantly. Rural and urban girls differ in period pain, PMS symptoms, menstrual flow, and practices. Rural girls also know less about their menstrual cycles.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 868 adolescent girls ages 10-19 in rural and urban regions. Researchers used a questionnaire to compare menstrual experiences including period pain, PMS, bleeding, menstrual awareness, and cultural practices.
What they found
Rural and urban girls had statistically significant differences in period pain, PMS symptoms, menstrual flow problems, and practices such as diaper use and food habits (P ≤ 0.05). Rural girls showed less awareness of their menstrual cycle.
What it means for you
Where you live affects your menstrual experience and menstrual awareness. Rural girls may benefit from better health education about periods. The study does not explain why these differences exist.
868
Number of girls studied
10-19 years
Age range of adolescents
14-16 years
Typical age of first menstruation
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual cycle pattern in adolescent girls among urban and rural regions - A comparative cross-sectional study
- Authors
- Kanmani Karthikkeyan, Nisa Meina Nirmala, P Thirumalaikolundhusubramanian et al.
- Journal
- International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health
- Year
- 2020
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 868
- What was tested
- None (observational)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.5455/ijmsph.2020.0202118022020
Topics
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