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European Journal of Scientific Research ISSN 1450-216X Vol.14 No.3 (2006), pp. 346-353 © EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2006 http://www.eurojournals.com/ejsr.htm Age at Menarche, Current Premenstrual Syndrome and Health Risk Behaviour of Young People in Ibadan, Nigeria Moronkola, O.A Senior Lecturer (Health Education)Health Education Unit Dept. of Human Kinetics and Health Education University of Ibadan, Ibadan. Nigeria Email: walemoronkola@yahoo.com Aladesanyi, O.A Health Education Unit Dept. of Human Kinetics and Health Education University of Ibadan, Ibadan. Nigeria Abstract Objective: To determine age at menarche, current premenstrual syndrome and at risk behaviour of female students in a tertiary institution in Ibadan, Nigeria. Design: Cross-sectional study Setting: A tertiary institution in Ibadan, Nigeria. (The actual name of the institution is concealed based on agreement with the study participants) Participants: 500 female students of a tertiary institution in Ibadan, Nigeria Materials and Methods: Female students of a tertiary institution in Ibadan, Nigeria were randomly sampled for the study. Structured questionnaires were administered to them in order to obtain information on their age at menarche, current premenstrual syndrome and health risk behaviour. Result: Out of the 500 participants, majority 365 (73.0%) had menarche between 11-15 years over 60.0% of them experienced the following symptoms of premenstrual syndrome; irritable/touchy 91.8%, not wanting to eat 87.6%, sleep disturbances 87.4%, anxiety 85.2%, lowered self esteem 80.6%, fatigue 78.2%, feeling weak 73.6%, water retention 72.0%, fainting 71.4%, desire to eat food 68.6%, dizziness 66.4%, breast tenderness 62.8%. Also 88.8% had procured abortion before, 86.8% did enjoy high salt intake, 77.4% were drinking alcohol, 73.8% engaged in premarital sex, 68.0% were drinking coffee, 9.8% did not deliberately engage in exercise/physical activity while 7.4% were not taking time to relax. Conclusion: The study showed that majority of the female students had menarche within the age period consistent with literature and had also procured abortion. Most of them complained about several symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. There is therefore, an urgent need for health education and promotion activities against premarital sex and abortion with attendant consequences as well as how the participants can manage symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and the need for sexual health counselling in the health services centre in tertiary institutions.
Age at Menarche, Current Premenstrual Syndrome and Health Risk Behaviour of Young People in Ibadan, Nigeria 347 Introduction Menstruation is the monthly process in which an unfertilized egg cell and the inner lining of the uterus are discharged from a woman of reproductive age. Most girls start to menstruate around the age of 12; some may mature earlier or later than this. Menstruation may begin any time between the ages of 10-16 and still considered normal 1 . The first menstrual cycle or periods usually starts between ages of 12 and 15 years and this is known as menarche. 2,3 Menstruation is a normal biological process, but it may cause physical or psychological problems too. 4 Menstruation has been surrounded by myths, superstitions, rituals and even laws since the earliest times. In modern times, it is viewed with remarkable openness, but differences in attitude still occur between different population and cultures. 5 Menstrual disorders like amenorrhea, dysmennorrhea and premenstrual syndromes are common reasons for visits to healthcare providers by adolescent girls. Although menstrual irregularity during the first few years after menarche may be normal, other menstrual signs and symptoms may indicate a pathological conditions requiring prompt medical attention. 6 Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a feeling of depression that occurs several days to two weeks before a period begins. Other symptoms may be weight gain and the inability to sleep or concentrate. The main cause of PMS is still unknown. 1 Premenstrual syndrome refers to the recurrent somatic or psychic symptoms which may occur in relation to menstruation. 7 About 70 percent of menstruating women experience some psychological and physiological changes the week before menstruation. Symptoms of PMS may include headaches, depression, undue stress and on rare occasions violent behaviour. 3 The premenstrual syndrome is a complex of symptoms occurring in the latter half of the menstrual cycle and disappearing at onset of the menstrual flow. The time of occurrence as well as the severity of symptoms and their number do vary considerably. The syndrome was described by Frank in 1931. 8 Most women have some premenstrual syndromes due to several environmental factors. 9 Though in many countries, sex, reproductive health and abortion are shrouded in secrecy even in the privacy of homes and with family members, the problem of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion continue to endanger the lives and wellbeing of Africa and these are enormous interms of losses and suffering to individuals, families and communities. 10 The consequences of unsafe abortion in Africa are enormous interms of losses and sufferings to individuals, families and communities, yet, there has remained an unmitigated silence at all levels regarding the need to do something to reduce the scale of the problem. 11 Tertiary institution students are predisposed by environmental factors to adoption of habits that impact on their health. Smoking, alcohol abuse, a sedentary lifestyle and failure to use health services may jeopardize current and future health status. 12 The purpose of this study therefore was to find out age at menarche, premenstrual syndrome and health risk behaviour of students of a tertiary institution in Ibadan, Nigeria. Materials and Methods One of the oldest institutions of higher learning in Ibadan southwestern Nigeria (noted for its high literacy level among other zones of the country) is recently witnessing high scale unwholesome sexual escapades of the students, cultism and admission racketeering which on several occasions led to the closure of the institution. A cross-sectional design was adopted for this study. The study participants were female registered students of the institution in 2003/2004 academic session. Trained (female students) research assistants were used to randomly administered copies of questionnaire on female students. The copies of the questionnaire after administration were manually screened for adequacy of completion and 500
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