title: Factors related to dysmenorrhea among Vietnamese and Vietnamese marriage immigrant women in South Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find factors associated with dysmenorrhea, we surveyed the obstetric and gynecologic histories as well as socioeconomic factors of Vietnamese female residents in Can Tho (southern part of Vietnam) and Bavi (northern part of Vietnam) and Vietnamese female marriage immigrants living in South Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  From March 2010 to March 2011, 3,017 Vietnamese women aged 17 to 42 years (mean, 25.5 years) were recruited. Socioeconomic factors as well as baseline characteristics, including gynecologic history and menstrual patterns, were collected using questionnaires. The relationships between these factors and dysmenorrhea were analyzed using chi-square test, independent t-test and logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dysmenorrhea was found in 58.8% of all women. The mean age and the age at menarche were younger in the women with dysmenorrhea. A longer duration of menstrual flow and severe menstrual volume increased the risk of dysmenorrhea. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was lower in women who had experienced pregnancy, term delivery and breastfeeding. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea in Vietnamese women was also different according to their educational status. When participants were divided according to their religious preferences, atheist women showed a lower prevalence with 55%, and women who were religious had a higher prevalence of dysmenorrhea. The body mass index, menstrual cycle length, monthly income, and duration of residency in Korea were not related with the prevalence of dysmenorrhea.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Socioeconomic factors as well as age, menstrual pattern and obstetric history were related with dysmenorrhea in Vietnamese women.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: In Ae
authors: IA
authors: Jang
authors: Min Yeoung
authors: MY
authors: Kim
authors: Sa Ra
authors: SR
authors: Lee
authors: Kyung Ah
authors: KA
authors: Jeong
authors: Hye Won
authors: HW
authors: Chung
keywords: Dysmenorrhea; Socioeconomic factors; Vietnamese