Effectiveness of a school-based health education program to improve the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome in high school girls in Ilam

BACKGROUND: The premenstrual syndrome happens periodically and affects both the individual and family. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the health education program on reducing premenstrual syndrome in high school girls in Ilam. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This experimental study was conducted in girls’ high schools in Ilam, in 2017–2018. In total, 120 students were enrolled in the study (intervention group = 61 and control group = 59) and selected through convenience sampling. In this study, a standard Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) was used to diagnose students with premenstrual syndrome or Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). The educational program for the intervention group was held in four sessions of 30 min for 4 consecutive weeks. The obtained data were analyzed by the SPSS statistical software at a significance level of less than 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed a significant difference in the proportion of cases with moderate and severe PMS and PMDD between intervention and control groups in follow-up (P < 0.001). However, these proportions were not significantly different between the two groups in the baseline. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, the educational program can be recommended as an effective intervention for girls with moderate-to-severe premenstrual symptoms and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.