Non-randomised trial, 2023
Does education about healthy lifestyle reduce PMS symptoms in high school girls?
Yes. High school girls who received four educational sessions about PMS and healthy lifestyle had fewer PMS symptoms and better health beliefs than the control group at three months.
What they did
80 first-grade high school girls were divided into an intervention group (40 girls) and a control group (40 girls). The intervention group attended four 45-minute sessions over one month about PMS and healthy behaviors to reduce it, delivered via WhatsApp. Researchers measured knowledge, health beliefs, and PMS symptoms before and three months after.
What they found
In the intervention group after three months, knowledge about PMS increased, health belief scores increased (including perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and self-efficacy), and more girls had no PMS or mild PMS. Perceived barriers to healthy behavior decreased. These improvements were significantly greater than in the control group.
What it means for you
Simple education about healthy lifestyle can reduce PMS in teenagers and is inexpensive. The main limits are that girls were not randomly assigned to groups, follow-up was only three months, and the sample is small.
80 girls
40 in intervention group, 40 in control
4 sessions
45 minutes each, over one month
3 months
follow-up period
About the study
- Original title
- Evaluating the effect of educational intervention based on the health belief model on the lifestyle related to premenstrual syndrome and reduction of its symptoms among the first-grade high school girls
- Authors
- Khalilzadeh P, Amirzadeh-Iranagh J, Khalkhali HR et al.
- Journal
- BMC public health
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Non-randomised trial
- Participants
- 40
- What was tested
- Four 45-minute educational sessions about PMS and healthy behaviors via WhatsApp over one month
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15950-y
Original abstract
Introduction: A healthy lifestyle can reduce the rate and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Thus, the present study evaluates the effect of educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model on the lifestyle related to premenstrual syndrome and reduction of its symptoms among the first-grade high school girls. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 80 first-grade high school girls. They were divided into two intervention and control groups (40 people in each group). The data collection tools included the participants' demographic information questionnaire, premenstrual symptoms screening tool, and a researcher-made questionnaire based on the constructs of the health belief model about PMS and the behaviors reducing its symptoms. Data were collected in two phases (before and three months after the educational intervention) via WhatsApp. Educational sessions were held in the form of four 45-min sessions for intervention group subjects regarding PMS and the behaviors that reduce its symptoms during one month via WhatsApp. Results: According to the results of this study, the mean scores of knowledge about PMS and health belief model constructs (including perceived susceptibility), perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived self-efficacy, cues to action, lifestyle/behaviors that reduce PMS symptoms) and the percentage of people who did not have PMS symptoms or had a mild type of PMS increased significantly after implementing the educational intervention in the intervention group compared to before the intervention and compared to the control group. Also, the perceived barriers construct score PMS decreased significantly. Conclusions: The health belief model education focused on a healthy lifestyle was effective in reducing PMS symptoms. It is recommended to use the educational intervention designed in this study, along with other health care in schools and during puberty as an easy, low-cost, and effective intervention.
Reproduced under CC-BY.
Topics
Related studies
Systematic review, 2025
Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS?
Non-randomised trial, 2021
Does teaching girls about PMS improve their knowledge?
Survey study, 2020
How many adolescent girls have PMS, and does teaching them about it help?
Randomised trial, 2020
Does health education help women cope with PMS?
Non-randomised trial, 2017
Does teaching girls about PMS help them prevent symptoms?
Survey study, 2015
What helps high school girls manage premenstrual symptoms?