Relationship of Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference to the menstrual cycle in young women at Muhammadiyah University Gorontalo

Abstract

Adolescence is a dynamic phase of development in one's life. This period is a transition period from childhood to adulthood, which is marked by accelerated physical, mental, emotional, and social development. The earliest change to emerge is biological development. One sign of biological youthfulness is the onset of teenage menstruation. Menstruation begins at puberty and a woman's ability to conceive a child or reproductive period. This research was conducted in the campus of the University of Muhammadiyah Gorontalo. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of body mass index and waist circumference to the menstrual cycle in midwifery students. The research method used is quantitative with a sample of 77 respondents. The results showed the Chi Square value of 0,000 or p value <α 0.005, it can be concluded that there is a relationship between the Body Mass Index (BMI) of young women and the menstrual cycle while in the waist circumference with the menstrual cycle the Chi Square value of 0.088 or the value of p value obtained > α 0.005, it can be concluded that there is no relationship between the waist circumference of adolescent girls with the menstrual cycle. It is expected that female students who are overweight or underweight can apply a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, increasing physical activity.

Keywords      : Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference, menstrual cycle.