Junk food consumption in relation to menstrual abnormalities among adolescent girls: A comparative cross sectional study

Objectives: The study was aimed at evaluating the association between junk food consumption and BMI of adolescent girls along with the menstrual abnormalities and to compare it with controls.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 girls between 13 – 19 years of age at Bahria International Hospital, Lahore based on self-administered questionnaire from July 2021 to September 2021. The total subjects were divided in two groups Viz; Group-A which comprised of 100 girls with menstrual abnormalities and Group-B included 100 girls without menstrual problem (control group). The data recorded on the questionnaire about the demographic profile, anthropometric measurements, menstrual cycle characteristics, and dietary habits was subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS version 20 and Chi-Square was used to test quantitative significance between the two groups.

Results: The mean age of participants was 17.02±1.76 years. It was observed that 40% girls had irregular menstrual cycle, 56% girls were suffering from dysmenorrhea and almost all girls of Group-I were suffering from premenstrual dysfunctions. The current study found a non-significant difference between two groups with regard to body mass index (P≥0.05). Significant difference was observed between two groups (P ≤ 0.05) as junk food consumption was high in Group-A as compared to Group-B. However, no significant difference was found between Group-A and B in relation to the consumption of salty snacks and frozen meat items (P≥0.05).

Conclusion: The results suggested that junk food consumption affects menstrual cycle negatively however more studies are needed to confirm the association of BMI, consumption of salty snacks and frozen meat items with menstrual abnormalities.