The effect of virtual and in-person education on pain management and quality of life of university students with dysmenorrhea.
- 1Department of Midwifery, Reproductive Health Promotion Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
- 2Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
Abstract
Background
Dysmenorrhea affects daily life, mental health, and productivity, raising economic and social concerns. It also significantly affects women's productivity and quality of life. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of virtual and in-person education in reducing pain and improving quality of life among university students with primary dysmenorrhea.Materials and methods
This quasiexperimental study involved 112 university students with moderate to severe dysmenorrhea (a pain score of 4 or higher over two consecutive menstrual cycles), who were randomly assigned to either In-Person or virtual education groups. An educational intervention was conducted in a 1-hour session (covering topics such as menstrual physiology, nutritional modifications, nonpharmacological treatments, and suitable exercises to alleviate menstrual pain) before their first menstrual cycle. Data were collected using the SF-36 questionnaire, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and McGill Pain Questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS software.Results
Participants, averaging 25.93 years old, experienced dysmenorrhea lasting about 2.49 days per cycle. Before the intervention, there were no notable differences in quality of life. Four weeks postintervention, both groups showed significant improvements in various health-related quality of life) physical functioning (P < 0.001), limitations in physical functioning due to health problems (P < 0.001), bodily pain (P < 0.001), general health (P < 0.001), vitality (P < 0.001), social functioning (P < 0.001), role limitations due to emotional problems (P < 0.001), mental health (P < 0.001), and overall quality of life (P < 0.001) and the pain intensity scores demonstrated a decreasing trend following the intervention (P < 0.001).Conclusion
Both methods improved quality of life and reduced dysmenorrhea, with a preference for virtual education, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating meaningful clinical benefits that align with health policy benchmarks for patient-centered outcomes.
Related
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- Dose-response curve of public physical education intensity on working memory and attention control in university students: a mediation path analysis of self-regulation ability.
- Association between secondary school nutrition education and dietary behaviour in UK university students: a cross-sectional study
- Academic Discipline, Self-Medication, and Medication-Related Behaviors in Premenstrual Symptom Management Among Female University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.
- Prevalence, diagnosis, and management of dysmenorrhea among Polish women: a cross-sectional study
BibTeX
@article{ahvazi2026effect,
title = {{The effect of virtual and in-person education on pain management and quality of life of university students with dysmenorrhea.}},
author = {Niloufar Mohammadi Ahvazi and Somayeh Ansari and Mohammad Hossein Haghighi Zadeh and Zahra Abbaspoor},
journal = {Journal of education and health promotion},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.4103/jehp.jehp_811_25},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923879},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The effect of virtual and in-person education on pain management and quality of life of university students with dysmenorrhea.
AU - Niloufar Mohammadi Ahvazi
AU - Somayeh Ansari
AU - Mohammad Hossein Haghighi Zadeh
AU - Zahra Abbaspoor
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Journal of education and health promotion
DO - 10.4103/jehp.jehp_811_25
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923879
AB - Background Dysmenorrhea affects daily life, mental health, and productivity, raising economic and social concerns. It also significantly affects women's productivity and quality of life. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of virtual and in-person education in reducing pain and improving quality of life among university students with primary dysmenorrhea.Materials and methods This quasiexperimental study involved 112 university students with moderate to severe dysmenorrhea (a pain score of 4 or higher over two consecutive menstrual cycles), who were randomly assigned to either In-Person or virtual education groups. An educational intervention was conducted in a 1-hour session (covering topics such as menstrual physiology, nutritional modifications, nonpharmacological treatments, and suitable exercises to alleviate menstrual pain) before their first menstrual cycle. Data were collected using the SF-36 questionnaire, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and McGill Pain Questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS software.Results Participants, averaging 25.93 years old, experienced dysmenorrhea lasting about 2.49 days per cycle. Before the intervention, there were no notable differences in quality of life. Four weeks postintervention, both groups showed significant improvements in various health-related quality of life) physical functioning (P < 0.001), limitations in physical functioning due to health problems (P < 0.001), bodily pain (P < 0.001), general health (P < 0.001), vitality (P < 0.001), social functioning (P < 0.001), role limitations due to emotional problems (P < 0.001), mental health (P < 0.001), and overall quality of life (P < 0.001) and the pain intensity scores demonstrated a decreasing trend following the intervention (P < 0.001).Conclusion Both methods improved quality of life and reduced dysmenorrhea, with a preference for virtual education, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating meaningful clinical benefits that align with health policy benchmarks for patient-centered outcomes.
SN - 2277-9531
SN - 2319-6440
ER -