Survey study, 2024
Do sports activities reduce PMS symptoms and improve mood in young women?
Mood swings were significantly better in sports students (more positive) than non-sports students, but PMS symptoms showed no significant difference between the groups. This is low-strength evidence from a small observational study.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 129 female senior high school students (60 in sports, 69 in non-sports activities), average age 16.62 years, who completed questionnaires about menstrual hygiene, PMS symptoms, and mood swings.
What they found
29 sports students and 35 non-sports students had poor menstrual hygiene practices. Non-sports students reported more severe and moderate PMS symptoms than sports students. Sports students experienced more positive mood swings, while non-sports students experienced more negative mood swings. However, only mood swings differed significantly between groups; PMS symptoms did not (p=0.776).
What it means for you
While sports students reported better moods, the lack of significant difference in PMS symptoms means we can't conclude that sports reduces PMS. The study was conducted in one high school, so results may not apply to all women. Since this is observational with no control group, we can't prove sports causes better moods.
129
Total students (60 sports, 69 non-sports)
29 and 35
Students with poor menstrual hygiene (sports vs non-sports)
16.62 years
Average age of participants
About the study
- Original title
- Do Menstrual Hygiene Practices, Premenstrual Syndrome, and Mood Swings differ for Female Students in Sports with those Non-Sports Extracurriculars ?
- Authors
- Siti Fatimatuz Zahro, Yetty Septiani Mustar, Indra Himawan Susanto et al.
- Journal
- JSES Journal of Sport and Exercise Science
- Year
- 2024
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 129
- What was tested
- Participation in sports extracurricular activities
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.26740/jses.v7n2.p46-56
Topics
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