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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1467377
Evaluation of health-related quality of life of female students suffering from primary dysmenorrhea: Findings of a cross-sectional study from Pakistan
Provisionally accepted
Mamoona Dar 1,2
Amjad Khan 1,3,4*
Ayesha Aleem 5
AMMAR ALI SALEH JABER 6 Mulazim Hussain 2
GUL MAJID KHAN 1*- 1 Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
- 2 University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan
- 3 Department of Pharmacy, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
- 4 Department of Pharmacy Management and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
- 5 Institute of Pharmacy, Gulab Devi Educational Complex, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
- 6 Dubai Pharmacy College, Al Mizhar, United Arab Emirates
Background: Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is a global public health problem affecting the quality of life of menstruating women. This study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of female students experiencing PD.This cross-sectional study included 484 female students (aged 16-31 years) from different educational institutes in Sargodha, Pakistan from October 2021 to November 2022.Demographic and menstrual characteristics were collected through interviews using a purposedeveloped data collection form, whereas HRQoL was evaluated using the EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Level (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using either Mann-Whitney tests or Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance with SPSS version 23.The mean age (SD) of the participants was 22.41 (3.5) years. The majority of participants were aged 21-25 years (58.9%), unmarried (86.2%), had a normal BMI (68.6%), had a family history of PD (58.1%), experienced a regular menstrual cycle (79.8%), and exhibited moderate PD (48.9%). Statistically significant differences in participants' EQ-5D index scores were observed based on the bleeding duration (p = 0.015), the length of the menstrual cycle (p = 0.004), cycle regularity (p=0.022), family history (p=0.027) how long the PD symptoms last (p < 0.001), and the season in which the PD pain is experienced the most (p < 0.001). Moreover, the EQ-VAS score also showed statistically significant differences based on the length of the menstrual cycle (p = 0.007), how long the PD symptoms last (p < 0.001), and the season in which the PD pain is experienced the most (p < 0.001). 51.7% of participants preferred heat application among the various lifestyle modifications to manage PD.This study indicated that Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) negatively impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Therefore, it is essential to explore effective interventions while raising awareness and improving access to medical care in Pakistan to enhance the HRQoL and well-being of women.
Keywords: Primary dysmenorrhea, health-related quality of life, university students, cross-sectional study, Pakistan
Received: 19 Jul 2024; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dar, Khan, Aleem, JABER, Hussain and KHAN. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Amjad Khan, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
GUL MAJID KHAN, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
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