ASSOCIATION OF BODY FAT PERCENTAGE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WITH MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL-GOING GIRLS AGED 12-16YRS IN GOREGAON, MUMBAI

Health and Nutrition

BACKGROUND Menstrual irregularities are prevalent among adolescents and can lead to distressing situations. All over the world, girls experience menstruation-related issues, with dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and irregular cycles being common problems. These conditions can adversely affect daily activities such as academic performance, sports achievements, and self-esteem. Recent shifts in dietary patterns, skipping meals, and lack of physical activity, underscore the need to examine the impact on menstrual health. The aim of the study was to find the association between body fat percentage and physical activity with menstrual problems. METHOD A total of 200 school-going girls aged 12-16 years, studying in private schools of Goregaon in Mumbai, India were recruited through a purposive sampling method. Girls with chronic diseases and on hormonal treatment for a long duration were excluded. Girls had a structured interview and completed questionnaires. Tanita, a body composition analyzer was used to record body weight and body fat percentage. The validated questionnaire was used to assess menstrual history and physical activity level. The 24-hour diet recall was used to assess the dietary intake. Descriptive and bivariate analysis was performed. RESULT The study found that physical activity levels were associated with the severity of pain (p=0.043), with a higher percentage (25.7%) of inactive participants experiencing severe pain among all the categories. Moreover, physical inactivity was significantly more prevalent among obese girls compared to other body fat categories. Overall, 94.5% of participants were experiencing premenstrual syndrome. CONCLUSION The key findings reveal that physical inactivity was notably higher among obese and overfat participants, correlating with dysmenorrhea. These results highlight the importance of promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors to potentially alleviate menstrual issues in adolescent girls. Lifestyle modifications like regular physical activity, decreasing the intake of fast food, and promoting healthy eating habits should be emphasized in school health education programs to improve menstrual health.

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