AI-Based Education and Menstrual Health Behaviors in Adolescents

N/AActive Not RecruitingNCT07598929

Cumhuriyet University120 enrolled

Overview

This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial aiming to compare the effectiveness of different educational approaches in improving dysmenorrhea self-care and genital hygiene behaviors among adolescent girls. Participants will be allocated into three groups: an artificial intelligence-supported mobile education group, a face-to-face education group, and a brochure-based control group. The intervention process will be conducted using a pretest-posttest design, with assessments performed at baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, and 8 weeks after baseline. In the artificial intelligence-supported mobile education group, participants will receive individualized and interactive content, while the same content will be delivered directly by the researcher in the face-to-face education group, and written informational materials will be provided to the control group. Valid and reliable instruments assessing dysmenorrhea self-care behaviors and genital hygiene practices will be used for data collection. The findings are expected to provide evidence on the effectiveness of digital health interventions in adolescent health and contribute to the development of nursing practices and health education programs.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

120

Conditions

Artificial Intelligence Self-care

Interventions

AI-Supported Mobile EducationBEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive artificial intelligence-supported personalized mobile education aimed at improving dysmenorrhea self-care and genital hygiene behaviors. Before the education, participants will complete a pretest including the Sociodemographic Characteristics and Menstruation Information Form, the Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale, and the Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale. Educational content will be delivered in a personalized manner through a ChatGPT-based system. The initial education session will be administered at baseline, followed by a reinforcement session 2 weeks after baseline. The educational content will include menstruation knowledge, methods for coping with menstrual pain, healthy genital hygiene behaviors, help-seeking behaviors, and safe self-care practices. Participants will be re-evaluated using the Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale and the Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after baseline.

Face-to-Face EducationBEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive face-to-face education delivered by an expert educator aimed at improving dysmenorrhea self-care and genital hygiene behaviors. Before the education, participants will complete a pretest including the Sociodemographic Characteristics and Menstruation Information Form, the Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale, and the Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale. The educational content will be delivered face-to-face by the researcher using standardized educational materials. The initial education session will be administered at baseline, followed by a reinforcement session 2 weeks after baseline. The educational content will include menstruation knowledge, methods for coping with menstrual pain, healthy genital hygiene behaviors, help-seeking behaviors, and safe self-care practices. Participants will be re-evaluated using the Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale and the Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after baseline.

Brochure-Based EducationBEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive an informational brochure aimed at improving dysmenorrhea self-care and genital hygiene behaviors. During the first meeting, participants will complete a pretest including the Sociodemographic Characteristics and Menstruation Information Form, the Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale, and the Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale. Afterwards, the same standardized informational brochure will be provided to all participants. The brochure content will include menstruation knowledge, methods for coping with menstrual pain, healthy genital hygiene behaviors, help-seeking behaviors, and safe self-care practices. Participants will be re-evaluated using the Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale and the Adolescent Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale at 4 weeks and 8 weeks after baseline.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 14 YearsMax age: 17 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Being aged 14-17 years * Having experienced menarche (having an active menstrual cycle) * Having experienced dysmenorrhea at least once within the past six months * Being a high school student and having the cognitive ability to understand the educational materials * Having access to a smartphone and the internet (mandatory for the AI group; preferred for comparability across groups) * Willingness to participate in the study voluntarily * Provision of parental/legal guardian consent due to being under 18 years of age Exclusion Criteria: * Having a diagnosed chronic gynecological condition (e.g., endometriosis) * Regular use of medications that may affect the menstrual cycle * Having previously received structured menstrual health education (to minimize confounding effects)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Behavior Scale Total Score

Dysmenorrhea self-care behaviors assessed using the Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Behavior Scale. The Dysmenorrhea Self-Care Scale was developed by Hsieh et al. (2004), and its Turkish adaptation was conducted by Sürücü and Ergün (2023). The scale is used to evaluate adolescent girls' self-care experiences related to dysmenorrhea. It consists of 40 items rated on a 6-point Likert-type scale (0 = strongly disagree, 1 = 20% agree, 2 = 40% agree, 3 = 60% agree, 4 = 80% agree, 5 = 100% agree). The scale includes six subdimensions: information seeking (items 1-4), expression of emotions (items 5-10), seeking help (items 11-14), control of external factors (items 15-21), coping practices (items 22-35), and self-control (items 36-40). The total score ranges from 0 to 200. Higher scores indicate better dysmenorrhea self-care behaviors. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients for the overall scale and subdimensions ranged between 0.62 and 0.89.

Time frame: At baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, and 8 weeks after baseline

Genital Hygiene Behavior Scale Total Score

Genital hygiene behaviors assessed using the Genital Hygiene Behavior Scale. The Genital Hygiene Behaviors Scale was developed by Karahan (2017), and the Cronbach's Alpha internal consistency coefficient was reported as 0.80. The scale is a five-point Likert-type instrument (1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agree) used to evaluate individuals' genital hygiene behaviors. The scale consists of 23 items and includes three subdimensions: "General Hygiene Habits" (items 1-12), "Menstrual Hygiene" (items 13-20), and "Awareness of Abnormal Findings" (items 21-23). Items 7, 14, 19, 20, and 23 are reverse scored. The total score ranges from 23 to 115. Higher scores indicate more positive and adequate genital hygiene behaviors.