Background: Dysmenorrhea pain is a major problem for women, both menarche teenagers and late adults who experience menstruation. Women with dysmenorrhea will experience limited movement during menstruation, so women with dysmenorrhea pain will be vulnerable to decreased physical activity. This study aims to identify the relationship between physical activity and the incidence of dysmenorrhea pain in UMM nursing student.
Methods: Descriptive correlation research design with a cross-sectional approach carried out at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang with 334 respondents majoring in Nursing, class of 2020-2022. Data were analyzed using the Spearman Rank test. Data collection used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) questionnaire and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS).
Results: This study shows that there is a relationship between physical activity and the incidence of dysmenorrhea pain in female students (p-value=0.000). female students who do low physical activity tend to experience moderate (n=56; 16.8%) and severe (n=54; 16.2%) dysmenorrhea pain, whereas those with high physical activity will experience mild dysmenorrhea pain (n=43; 12.9%). Therefore, it is impotant to carry out active and regular physical activity which can reduce the level of dysmenorrhea pain in nursing student.
Conclusion: Physical Activity has an influence on blood and oxygen circulation in the body, especially the reproductive organs. Insufficient physical activity will result in vasoconstriction of blood vessels, especially in blood flow to the uterus and cause dysmenorrhea pain during menstruation. It is important to do physical activity including age-appropriate exercise for health benefits
