International Journal of Women's Health and Reproduction Sciences

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Jul 2019, Vol 7, Issue 3

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Original Article
Association Between Physical Activity, Menstrual Cycle Characteristics, and Body Weight in Young South Indian Females
Shabnam Omidvar¹, Fatemeh Nasiri Amiri², Mozhgan Firouzbakht³, Afsaneh Bakhtiari⁴, Khyrunnisa Begum⁵
¹Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, I.R. Iran ²Infertility and Health Reproductive Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, I.R. Iran ³Department of Midwifery, Babol Branch, Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran ⁴Mobility Impairment Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, I.R.Iran ⁵University of Mysore, Mysore, India
IJWHR 2019; 7: 281-286 DOI: 10.15296/ijwhr.2019.47 Viewed : 3857 times Downloaded : 2506 times. Keywords : Menstrual cycle, Physical activity, Menstruation characteristics
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Abstract

Objectives: Physical activity is considered as an essential component of a woman?s ability to maintain or improve her level of wellness. Nevertheless, women, particularly young girls, usually pay less attention to health-promoting behaviors such as regular physical activity. Given the significance of physical activity in woman? health status, the present study aimed to determine the influence of such activity and body mass index (BMI), especially on menstrual characteristics and menarche age among young females according to their socioeconomic status (SES). Materials and Methods: Data collection included two parts. First, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 1000 healthy and young females aged 11-28 years and standardized self-reporting questionnaires were used to obtain relevant information. Then, purposive sampling technique was utilized to compare the information pertinent to physically active and inactive females or those with sedentary behavior. The data were later analyzed using the chi-square test by SPSS 16. Results: Based on the results, the majority of the young female population were physically inactive and only 121 women (12.1%) enjoyed exercising at least for 30 minutes three times a week or more. In addition, there was a significant correlation between BMI, SES, and physical activity involvement. The cycle length, the regularity of periods, and the severity of dysmenorrhea exhibited a positive association with involvement in physical activity. Conclusions: Overall, physical activity had a positive influence on menstrual characteristics in young females. Therefore, it is important to educate women for regular physical activity in order to modify or reduce menstrual cycle disturbances.