Survey study, 2010
Is living in a less wealthy neighborhood linked to worse premenstrual symptoms?
Higher neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage was clearly linked to more premenstrual pain even after considering other factors, though other premenstrual symptoms showed no clear link.
What they did
Researchers studied 640 Japanese female dietetic students aged 18 to 22 from 210 municipalities. They measured neighborhood disadvantage using factors like unemployment, poverty, and education. They assessed premenstrual symptoms including pain, concentration, mood, behavior, water retention, and physical reactions.
What they found
Women living in neighborhoods with higher disadvantage had higher pain scores in the premenstrual phase, and this relationship held even when other factors were considered. Water retention scores also showed a relationship with neighborhood disadvantage, but this connection disappeared when other factors were included. No clear relationships were found for other premenstrual symptoms.
What it means for you
Living in a more disadvantaged neighborhood may increase premenstrual pain, possibly through lower serotonin levels. However, the study only looked at young Japanese women studying dietetics in one country, so the findings may not apply to other groups.
640
women studied from 210 municipalities
18-22
age range
7
neighborhood factors measured
About the study
- Original title
- Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Premenstrual Symptoms: A Cross-sectional Study of Young Japanese Women
- Journal
- Clinical Medicine Reviews in Women s Health
- Year
- 2010
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 640
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.4137/cmrwh.s3381
Topics
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