RESUMO
Introduction: Adolescents’ health makes a platform for Reproductive and Child Health (RCH). Knowledge and practices of healthy life style during this period may bring vast changes in overall standards of health of a community, especially maternal and child health. Menarche in girls is the opening of reproductive phase of life which requires appropriate knowledge, care and healthy practices. Material and methods: As a practical training to the undergraduate female medical students, their clinical posting phase of Community Medicine was used to conduct the field study. This included interview, examination and health education to the girls of menarcheal age on mens other aspects of reproductive health. Results: Out of 385 girls interviewed in the age group of 9-16 years, 207 had attained menarche with mean menarcheal age worked out as 12 years 7 months. Maximum girls attained menarche in the age group of 12-13 years. Average menstruation cycle and menstruation period were calculated as 27.8 and 5.5 days respectively. Health education imparted on adolescent and reproductive health to girls during this period made an impact of improving their level of knowledge from 20.4 to 69.3 percent, an improvement of about 49 percent. Conclusion: The study was found useful in working out the mean menarcheal age, average duration of menstrual cycle and menstrual period. For the undergraduate medical students, it was an early exposure to learn the methods of field study and impart health education to the rural adolescent girls. It also improved level of knowledge of the rural girls on adolescent health.
RESUMO
INTRODUÇÃO: O ciclo menstrual é o principal responsável por modificações da fisiologia feminina, que pode afetar algumas respostas morfofuncionais. OBJETIVO: Verificar a influência das diferentes fases do ciclo menstrual na flexibilidade de mulheres jovens. MÉTODO: 44 voluntárias divididas em um grupo controle (n = 24), que fazia uso regular de contraceptivos hormonais, e um grupo experimental (n = 20), que não utilizava anticoncepcionais, foram submetidas a três dias de avaliações, uma em cada fase do ciclo menstrual (folicular, ovulatória e lútea). Foram avaliados dados antropométricos (massa corporal, índice de massa corporal, circunferência de cintura e abdômen) e de composição corporal (percentual de gordura e massa magra). A flexibilidade foi mensurada através do teste de sentar e alcançar no banco de Wells. Aplicou-se, então, o teste não paramétrico de Mann-Whitney para as comparações intergrupos e o teste de Friedman para a comparação entre as diferentes fases menstruais. Resultados: Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas intra e intergrupos entre as diferentes fases do ciclo (p > 0,05). Foi observada maior variabilidade no grupo controle em comparação ao experimental. CONCLUSÃO: As diferentes fases do ciclo menstrual não interferem na flexibilidade de mulheres jovens, independente do uso de anticoncepcionais hormonais.
INTRODUCTION: The menstrual cycle is the main responsible for changes in female physiology, which may affect some morphofunctional responses. OBJECTIVE: to investigate the influence of the different phases of the menstrual cycle on the physical flexibility of young women. METHODS: 44 volunteers were divided into a control group (n = 24), which made regular use of hormonal contraceptives, and an experimental group (n = 20), which did not use contraceptives. All volunteers underwent three days of evaluations, one for each phase of menstrual cycle (follicular, ovulatory and luteal). Anthropometric data (body mass, body mass index, waist and abdomen circumferences), and body composition data (body fat percentage and lean mass) were assessed. Flexibility was then analyzed through the sit and reach test on Wells bench. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was then applied for intragroup comparisons, and the Friedman test for comparison between the different menstrual phases. RESULTS: No significant differences between groups within and between different phases of the cycle were observed (p > 0.05). Greater variability within the control group was observed when compared to the experimental group. CONCLUSION: Regardless of the menstrual cycle phase and of the use of hormonal contraceptives, the physical flexibility is not altered in young women.