Mixed Method Evaluation of My Vital Cycles ®: A Holistic School-Based Ovulatory Menstrual Health Literacy Program

Felicity Roux (), HuiJun Chih, Jacqueline Hendriks and Sharyn Burns
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Felicity Roux: Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
HuiJun Chih: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
Jacqueline Hendriks: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
Sharyn Burns: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: There is a high prevalence of ovulatory menstrual (OM) dysfunctions among adolescents, and their menstrual health literacy is poor. The OM cycle can be used as a personal health monitor provided that the skills to understand it are correctly taught. My Vital Cycles ® , a holistic school-based OM health literacy program, was trialed with a Grade 9 cohort in one single-sex school in Western Australia using the Health Promoting School framework. A validated OM health literacy questionnaire was administered pre- and post-program with 94 participants. Functional OM health literacy improved overall, with 15 out of 20 items showing improvement post-program ( p < 0.05). In addition, 19 out of 53 items for interactive OM health literacy, and 18 out of 25 items for critical OM health literacy improved ( p < 0.05). The improvement in mood concerns ( p = 0.002) was unexpected. Thematic analysis of three focus groups of 18 girls revealed four themes of increasing comfort levels; finding the program informative; inclusion of non-teaching support such as healthcare professionals; and suggestions for future refinements. Overall, this Western Australian PhD project which developed and trialed My Vital Cycles ® improved OM health literacy and was positively received. Future research possibilities include understanding the program’s impact on mental health and further trials in co-educational settings; amongst different populations; and with extended post-program testing.

Keywords: health promoting school; strengths-based education; menstrual health literacy; ovulation; fertility; restorative reproductive medicine; mental health; body image; dysmenorrhea; abnormal uterine bleeding (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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