Comparison of the effects of applying problem-based learning and lecture-based learning on menstrual hygiene behaviors and food habits of adolescent girls in Iran

Abstract

ABSTRACT Menstrual hygiene behaviors and food habits are the most significant educational needs of puberty-related health. This quasi-experimental study compares the effects of applying problem-based learning (PBL) and lecture-based learning (LBL) on adolescent girls’ menstrual hygiene behaviors and food habits. Eighty-five high-school female students were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling from Tehran, Iran, and were non-randomly assigned to LBL (n = 27), PBL (n = 28), and control (n = 30). Both LBL and PBL groups received the same educational content during four one-hour sessions. To measure menstrual hygiene behaviors and food habits, all the participants completed the Menstrual Hygiene Behaviors Questionnaire (MHBQ) and the Adolescent Food Habits Checklist (AFHC) at baseline (T1), at the end of the last session (T2), and three months after the last session (T3). The MHBQ was developed by the researchers based on a literature review undertaken in Persian, and the AFHC was culturally adapted from English to Persian. The two instruments were approved by validity and reliability. The mean scores on menstrual hygiene behaviors and food habits were higher in the PBL and LBL than in the control at T2 and T3. Additionally, the PBL participants had higher menstrual hygiene behaviors and food habits compared to the LBL ones at T2 and T3. Accordingly, both LBL and PBL can promote good menstrual hygiene behaviors and healthy food habits of Iranian adolescent girls, while PBL could be more effective compared to LBL.