Knowledge and effects of dysmenorrhoea among female adolescents in selected secondary schools in Lagos

Abstract

Background Dysmenorrhoea is the leading cause of absenteeism from school among menstruating adolescents. It is a common health problem among women of reproductive age and it is known to have psychosocial effects on women and their interactions with others during such periods. This study assessed knowledge and effects of dysmenorrhoea among female adolescents in Lagos. Methods This non-experimental descriptive cross-sectional study involved 676 female adolescents attending secondary schools, who were selected using multistage sampling. A self-structured questionnaire (reliability r=0.79) was used for data collection. Data were analysed using the statistical package for social sciences software version 20. Descriptive and inferential statistics were presented in tables, charts and analysed using the Chi-squared test. Significance was set at P=0.05. Results The result showed that 62.8% of the respondents were 15–18 years old. The majority (64.8%) had poor knowledge of dysmenorrhoea, although 92.6% agreed that dysmenorrhoea affects their daily activities and 68.5% had good treatment-seeking methods. There was a significant association between knowledge of dysmenorrhoea and students' age (P<0.001), level of education (P=0.004) and department (P<0.001). There was also a significant association between treatment-seeking method and age (P<0.001), level of education (P=0.010) and department (P<0.001). Conclusions Dysmenorrhoea is a main cause of poor performance in daily activities among female adolescents in Lagos, although many have good treatment-seeking methods. Adopting good and effective treatment methods will go a long way in mitigating the effect of dysmenorrhoea.