Prevalence and Severity of Dysmenorrhoea Among some Adolescent Girls in a Secondary School in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Background: Dysmenorrhoea is a common problem among the adolescent but it is unclear the extent to which adolescent girls in Ghana are incapacitated each month due to the severity of dysmenorrhoea.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhoea in adolescent girls and its effect on class attendance.
Setting: St Mary’s Senior Secondary School, Accra
Methodology: Cross-sectional descriptive study using selfadministered questionnaire
Results: The prevalence of dysmenorrhoea in 453 adolescent girls in this study was 74.4% (CI 95%, 72.5%-76.3%). Primary dysmenorrhoea is usually the type of dysmenorrhoea suffered by adolescent girls, a characteristic age group 14-19 years of respondents in the study. The percentage distribution for the various degrees of severity of dysmenorrhoea in 453 adolescent girls was 18.1%, 37.5%, and 18.8% for mild, moderate and severe dysmenorrhoea respectively. About 9.5% of respondents with dysmenorrhoea had absented themselves from class at some time. Among those who had severe dysmenorrhoea, 35.3% had absented themselves from class at some time (p<0.0001).
Conclusions: This study shows that dysmenorrhoea is common among girls of this Senior Secondary School in Accra, Ghana. The correct approach to management of adolescent girls with dysmenorrhoea can reduce the adverse impact of severe dysmenorrhoea on academic activities in the form of class absenteeism.