Do economic circumstances and family structures affect young girls’ healthy living behaviors and menstrual symptoms?

Abstract

Background: Demographic features such as low income, low education, and living in a crowded or single-parent family increase young girls’ premenstrual and menstrual symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and bleeding and negatively affect their healthy lifestyle. The purpose of the study was to analyze the relationship between healthy lifestyle behaviors and menstrual symptoms among young girls and their sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 1,130 students from four high schools providing full-time education in the Beylikduzu district of Istanbul between February 3, 2020, and March 1, 2020. Volunteer students whose families gave consent participated in the study. A personal identification form, the Menstrual Symptom Scale and the Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Scale-II (HLBS-II) were used to collect data in the study. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics version 23. Results: It was found that economic status and painful menstruation negatively affected healthy lifestyle behaviors while living with one’s nuclear family positively affected healthy lifestyle behaviors; furthermore, chronic disease, painful menstruation, and family types other than the nuclear family negatively affected menstrual symptoms. Conclusion: Poor economic status and painful menstruation negatively affected healthy lifestyle behaviors, and chronic disease, painful menstruation and family type other than the nuclear family negatively affected menstrual symptoms.