Impact of lifestyle and dietary habits on menstrual cycle among female medical students

Abstract

Background and Aim: Menstrual patterns are influenced by a wide variety of factors which can be responsible for menstrual disorders, among them are lifestyle and dietary habits play a major role. So, the present study is effect of life style and dietary habits on the menstrual cycle among female medical college students and suggest them to adopt healthy life style and dietary habits accordingly. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 students of all semesters in a tertiary care institute using simple random sampling method. A pre-tested and pre-designed, semi-structured and self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data collected was analysed using SPSS trail version 24 and chi-square test was used wherever applicable. Results: It was found that 29.1% had irregular menstrual cycle. 79.4% respondents took sugary food for more than 3 days/week. 43% did not have sleep duration of more than 7 hours/day. 52% did not regularly exercises for more than 5 times/week. Conclusion: There was a significant association between consumption of junk food, physical activity, and sleep habits on menstrual cycle of the respondents. Regular exercise, more healthy food, good sleep, less stress is responsible to maintain a healthy regular menstrual cycle.