Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine (대한예방의학회)
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Intervention to Improve Menstrual Health Among Adolescent Girls Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior in Iran: A Cluster-randomized Controlled Trial

  • Fatemeh, Darabi (Department of Public Health, Asadabad School of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Mehdi, Yaseri (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences)
  • Received : 2022.08.18
  • Accepted : 2022.11.14
  • Published : 2022.11.30
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Abstract

Objectives: Poor menstrual health may lead to school absenteeism and adverse health outcomes for adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of pubertal and menstrual health education on health and preventive behaviors among Iranian secondary school girls. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a health intervention program. A total of 578 students (including intervention and control participants) in 12 schools in Tehran Province, Iran were included by multistage random sampling. The program comprised seven 2-hour educational sessions. After confirming the reliability and validity of a researcher-made questionnaire, that questionnaire was used to collect the required data, and the groups were followed up with after 6 months. Results: After the educational intervention, the mean scores of menstrual health-related knowledge and constructs of the theory of planned behavior were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (p<0.001 for all dimensions). Conclusions: The results of this study emphasize the effectiveness of menstrual health interventions in schools. These findings should also encourage health policy-makers to take committed action to improve performance in schools.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The present research is part of Ms. Fatemeh Darabi's PhD thesis, which has been approved by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (project code 9121108005 and ethics code number IR.TUMS.REC.1394.651). This research is also registered at the Clinical Trial Center in Iran with the code IRCT2015070623089N2. The authors express their gratitude to the respected staff of the Department of Education, the students who participated in the study, and the Research and Technology Vice-Chancellor of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.

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