title: Knowledge and attitudes towards dysmenorrhea among adolescent girls in an urban school in Sri Lanka.
abstract: Knowledge of and attitudes towards dysmenorrhea among adolescent school girls were assessed in this study. A descriptive study was conducted among 200 Year 12 girls at a school in the Nugegoda Educational Division in the district of Colombo. Data collection was done by using non-probability convenience sampling. The results indicated that 84% of the study population had dysmenorrhea. Paracetamol was the drug of choice for pain relief. There was a statistically-significant (P < 0.05) association between pain and poor mental health status (66%) of the adolescent girls, but there was no significant association between pain and poor physical health (P = 0.887) and poor social health status (P = 0.395). Bathing was found to affect pain, as reported by 95% of the students. Dysmenorrhea was common among adolescent girls in our study population, and was found to affect their mental status. Health-education sessions are important to raise awareness among students of dysmenorrhea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Nawala, Sri Lanka. maligaskumari@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Hapuarachchige Sewvandi Maliga Sampath Kumari
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Wijesiri
authors.forename: Thusharie Sugandhika
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Suresh
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000293:Adolescent; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management / Q000523:psychology*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012574:Schools; D013188:Sri Lanka; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D000082:Acetaminophen