Survey study, 2024
Is physical activity or body fat related to PMS in teenage girls?
Yes. Girls with higher body fat and certain waist measurements had worse PMS, and more active girls had less severe PMS. But this was only teenagers in one city and cannot prove these things cause PMS.
What they did
A cross-sectional study measured weight, waist, and body fat in 143 female high school students in Indonesia. They measured physical activity and PMS symptoms using questionnaires and checked for correlations.
What they found
Body fat percentage and waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio were linked to worse PMS symptoms, but BMI-for-age was not. Physical activity was linked to less severe PMS.
What it means for you
If you have higher body fat or carry weight around your middle, you may experience worse PMS. Being more physically active may help reduce PMS symptoms. The main limit is this was only teenagers in one city in Indonesia at one point in time, so we cannot prove these things cause PMS.
143
female high school students
10
items on PMS screening tool
About the study
- Original title
- Anthropometric indices and physical activity in relation to premenstrual syndrome among female adolescents
- Authors
- Annisa Rizky Maulidiana, Putri Nabila Qomariah, Savitri Nur Rahmawati et al.
- Journal
- Jurnal Gizi Indonesia (The Indonesian Journal of Nutrition)
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 143
- What was tested
- None (observational study)
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.14710/jgi.13.1.35-41
Original abstract
Background: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a collection of symptoms that are usually experienced by female adolescent before the start of each menstrual cycle which can impact their social activities and concentration on studies. There are several factors that can influence the occurrence of PMS, such as nutritional status, body composition, and physical level. Objectives: To explore the incidence of PMS among female adolescents and its correlation with anthropometric indices and physical activity in Malang City, IndonesiaMaterials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in August to November 2023. A total of 143 female second year students from three public high schools in Malang City was participated in this study. Weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, and body fat percentage (BF%) were measured. Anthropometric indices including body mass index-for-age (BMI-for-age), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were calculated. PMS was measured using 10-item shortened Premenstrual Assessment Form(sPAF) and physical activity using Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescent (PAQ-A). Spearman test was used to evaluate the correlation between variables.Results: There were significant positive correlations among anthropometric indices. There was a positive correlation between PMS with BF%, WHR, and WHtR, however no correlation was found with BMI-for-age. PMS was inversely correlated with physical activity level.Conclusion: Anthropometric indices as predictor of obesity such as BF%, WHR, and WHtR was positively correlated with PMS while physical activity was negatively correlated with PMS. These findings suggest that changes toward healthy lifestyle, such as having regular physical activity and maintain a normal range of body composition and nutritional status are important to alleviate PMS symptoms in female adolescents.Keywords: Adolescent; anthropometric indices; body fat; physical activity; premenstrual syndrome
Reproduced under CC-BY-SA.
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