TO STUDY THE RELATION BETWEEN BODY MASS INDEX AND MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR EFFECT ON AUDIOVISUAL REACTION TIME IN YOUNG FEMALES.
Background: Menstruation is an important part of female reproductive cycle. Menstrual problems can affect the normal life of adolescent and young women. Many factors play a role in regulation of normal menstruation like genetic, hormonal factors and Body Mass Index. Reaction time is the time taken by an individual to react to a stimulus. It is an indirect index of processing capabilities of the Central Nervous System and is affected by various factors. Aims & Objective: The present study was undertaken to see the relation between Body Mass Index and menstrual abnormalities and effect on Auditory and Visual reaction time in healthy young females (16-19 yrs.) with the help of Audiovisual reaction time apparatus. Method: 90 young female medical and paramedical students from Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Jaipur, were selected for this study. A questionnaire was given to them regarding the menstrual status and any abnormalities in menstrual cycle. Students were divided into 3 groups according to their body mass index:- Group 1:- Normal(BMI 18.5 – 24.99 kg/m ), Group 2:- Underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m ), Group 3:- 2 2 Overweight (BMI > 25 kg/m ). The reaction times were then noted by audiovisual reaction timer. It was observed that students with 2 Results: High or Low BMI were more likely to have an excessive amount of blood ow and long interval between menstrual cycle as compared to normal BMI group . Auditory Reaction Time (ART) and Visual Reaction Time (VRT) were assessed by using one – way ANOVAwith post – hoc Tukey's HSD test. Both Auditory Reaction Time and Visual Reaction Time were prolonged and highly signicant (p<0.0001) in underweight and overweight female groups in comparison to the normal BMI group. Conclusion: Thus Body Mass Index affects the normal menstrual cycle and the Audio-visual reaction time. Adolescent girls should have a healthy and balanced lifestyle to maintain normal BMI and menstrual cycle.