Women's Health World Conference 2026
Speakers - 2026
N P D V Bandara
N P D V Bandara
- Designation: University of Colombo
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Title: Knowledge, Attitudes and Coping Strategies Related to Menstrual Pain and Factors Associated with Usage of Coping Strategies Among Female Athletes in University of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Abstract
Background: Dysmenorrhea, or menstrual pain, is a common but often under-recognized health issue among athletes. In competitive sports settings, a prevailing “culture of silence” frequently normalizes this pain, leading many athletes to accept severe menstrual cramps as an inevitable part of womanhood or as secondary to their training and performance demands. This normalization is problematic as it hinders effective coping and can lead to decreased performance, missed training sessions, and psychological distress.
In Sri Lanka, cultural taboos surrounding menstruation further complicate this issue. Female athletes at the University of Colombo face unique challenges, as their academic and athletic demands are influenced by societal expectations. Despite the growing participation of women in sports, literature regarding their specific knowledge levels, underlying attitudes, and the factors that drive their choice of coping mechanisms remains critically limited. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing tailored interventions.
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the levels of knowledge and types of attitudes regarding menstrual pain among female athletes at the University of Colombo. Additionally, the study aimed to identify the coping strategies used by participants and to examine how factors such as individual sociodemographic characteristics, family support, the academic environment, and sport-specific variables influence the use of these strategies.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted involving 118 female athletes (aged 20–28 years) across various sporting disciplines. Inclusion required participants to experience menstrual pain as defined by the WaLIDD criteria. Participants completed a validated self-administered questionnaire.
Knowledge and attitude scores were quantified using a Likert scale. Coping strategies were categorized into pharmacological (e.g., NSAIDs, paracetamol), non-pharmacological (e.g., heat therapy, herbal remedies, exercise), combined, or none. Statistical analysis was performed using
SPSS, employing Chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests for categorical variables and independent sample t-tests/Pearson’s correlation for continuous data. Significance was set at p<0.05.
Results: The mean age of participants was 22.5 years (SD=1.4). A striking 76.7% (n=89) of athletes reported suffering from moderate-to-severe menstrual pain, highlighting the severity of the issue in this cohort. Regarding management, 41.4% (n=48) utilized a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods.
Crucially, the study found that cognitive factors were the strongest predictors of action. Athletes who used a coping strategy had significantly higher mean knowledge scores (p=0.011) and higher positive attitude scores (p<0.001). A weak but significant positive correlation (r=0.203,p=0.03) was found between knowledge and attitude, suggesting that as an athlete’s understanding of dysmenorrhea improves, their attitude toward managing it becomes more proactive.
Conclusions and recommendations: Most female athletes demonstrated moderate knowledge and attitudes regarding dysmenorrhea, yet a large proportion experienced moderate to severe menstrual pain despite regular physical activity. While some used both pharmacological and non-pharmacological coping strategies, a notable number did not use any methods. Knowledge and attitudes were significantly associated with better coping practices, highlighting the importance of awareness. However, reliance on informal information sources indicates a gap in proper education.
Strengthening menstrual health education through targeted awareness programs and integrating menstrual management into sports health curriculum are recommended. Further research across other universities is encouraged to enhance generalizability.
Women’s Health World Conference (WHWC 2026): From Research to Reality: Transforming Women’s Health
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