Mixed Method Evaluation of My Vital Cycles

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Health Literacy
• Menstrual Health

Background:

• Adolescents frequently experience ovulatory menstrual (OM) dysfunctions, coupled with poor menstrual health literacy.
• Understanding the OM cycle is crucial for its use as a personal health monitor.
• Existing educational approaches often fall short in equipping adolescents with necessary OM health literacy skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the My Vital Cycles® program in improving OM health literacy among adolescent girls.
• To assess the impact of the program on functional, interactive, and critical OM health literacy.
• To explore participants' experiences and perceptions of the school-based health literacy program.

Main Methods:

• A school-based OM health literacy program, My Vital Cycles®, was implemented in a Western Australian single-sex school.
• A validated OM health literacy questionnaire was administered to 94 Grade 9 participants pre- and post-program.
• Focus groups were conducted with 18 participants to gather qualitative feedback on the program.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in overall functional OM health literacy (15/20 items improved, p < 0.05).
• Interactive and critical OM health literacy also showed significant gains (19/53 and 18/25 items improved, respectively, p < 0.05).
• An unexpected positive impact on mood concerns was noted (p = 0.002).

Conclusions:

• The My Vital Cycles® program effectively improved OM health literacy in adolescent girls.
• The program was positively received, with participants finding it informative and suggesting refinements.
• Further research is warranted to explore impacts on mental health and broader applicability in diverse settings.