Menstrual characteristics and dysmenorrhea among Palestinian adolescent refugee camp dwellers in the West Bank and Jordan: A cross-sectional study

Authors

Rula Ghandour¹ , Weeam Hammoudeh¹ , Hein Stigum² , Rita Giacaman¹ , Heidi Fjeld² , Gerd Holmboe-Ottesen²

1. Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University
2. Department of Community Medicine and Global Health, University of Oslo

Conference / event

17th World Congress in Public Health, May 2023 (Rome, Italy)

Poster summary

This study assessed menstruation characteristics and dysmenorrhea levels among adolescent girls in Palestinian Refugee Camps in the West Bank and Jordan. A survey collected data on menstrual patterns, dysmenorrhea, and demographic factors. 2,737 girls participated, with a mean age of 16.8 years and age-at-menarche of 13.1 years. Average bleeding duration and cycle length were 5.3 and 28.1 days respectively. About 6% reported heavy menstrual bleeding. High dysmenorrhea prevalence was alarming, affecting 96% of participants, with 41% experiencing severe symptoms. Older age, early age-at-menarche, longer period duration, heavier flow, regular breakfast skipping, and limited physical activity were associated with higher dysmenorrhea levels. The study revealed regular menstrual patterns but significantly high dysmenorrhea prevalence. It emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts to address menstrual health issues among adolescent girls in refugee camps, including dysmenorrhea and irregular periods. Effective recommendations and actions are required to support these girls and improve their menstrual health.

Keywords

Adolescent girls, Dysmenorrhea, Menstruation, Refugees

Research areas

Education, Medicine, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, Statistics

References

1. Ghandour, R., Hammoudeh, W., Stigum, H. et al. Menstrual characteristics and dysmenorrhea among Palestinian adolescent refugee camp dwellers in the West Bank and Jordan: a cross-sectional study. Arch Public Health 81, 47 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-023-01059-6

Funding

1. IDRC:International Development Research Centre (No. 108672)

Supplemental files

No data provided

Additional information

Competing interests

No competing interests were disclosed.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and / or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Creative Commons license

Copyright © 2023 Ghandour et al. This is an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.