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Published on: January 12, 2018
Prevalence and knowledge of heavy menstrual bleeding among African American women
Erica E Marsh1,2, Maureen E Brocks1,2, Marissa S Ghant1
1Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA.
Objective:
To assess self-reported prevalence, knowledge, and health literacy regarding heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) among African American women.
Methods:
A quantitative cross-sectional survey study was conducted. An original survey was developed and distributed to a convenience sample of African American women aged 18-60 years at a community fair in a large city in the Midwestern region of the USA.
Results:
Of the 274 surveys distributed, 247 were returned, 193 of which met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 163 (84.5%) participants demonstrated adequate health literacy; however, 168 (87.0%) answered fewer than 8 of 15 knowledge questions correctly. Although 75 (38.9%) women reported seeing a clinician for HMB, 89 (46.1%) believed that there was nothing that they could do to prevent it from occurring.
Conclusion:
The present study found that the proportion of HMB among participants was higher than the nationwide prevalence. However, a gap existed in knowledge of HMB among the women surveyed. The study findings indicate an opportunity for community-based education to raise awareness of HMB, its associated clinical presentations, and available treatment modalities.
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