December 2017 Vol. 5 No.12

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Original Research Article

The Relationship between Dietary Habits and Severity of Premenstrual Syndrome among Medical College Students at Najran University

Wafaa Taha Ibrahim Elgzar^* and Heba Abdel-Fatah Ibrahim

Assistant Professor, Department of Maternal and Child Health Nursing, Nursing College, Najran University

*Corresponding Author’s E-mail: wafaa22006@yahoo.com

Accepted December 15, 2017

Abstract

The objective of this study is to identify the prevalence and severity of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) among medical students at Najran University and discover the relationship between the students' dietary habits and the severity of their PMS. A descriptive correlational research design was utilized. The study was conducted at medical colleges (medicine, nursing and applied medical sciences) Najran University female campus. A convenience sample of all female students (n= 285) who registered in the three colleges at the time of study were included. Data was collected from the beginning of December 2016 till the end of February 2017.Three tools were used for data collection; 1) demographic and menstrual history questionnaire. 2) a modified version of PMS screening tool for clinicians. 3) Assessment of dietary habits questionnaire. Around one third of the participant complained from moderate to severe PMS. There were a positive, highly statistically significant correlations (P < 0.01) between the severity of PMS and fat/sweets consumption. On the other hand, there were negative, highly statistically significant correlations (P < 0.01) between the severity of PMS and complex carbohydrates, vegetables and protein. Moreover, there were positive, highly statistically significant correlations (P < 0.01) between caffeine containing beverages and severity of PMS. As well as there were a negative, highly statistically significant correlations (P < 0.01) between fenugreek, ginger, saffron and severity of PMS symptoms. There were positive, statistically significant correlations between the consumption of fats, sweets, caffeine containing beverages, packed juice and the severity of PMS.

Keywords: Premenstrual syndrome, dietary habits, medical college, Najran University