Association Between Junk Food Consumption Patterns and The Severity of Premenstrual Syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) affect mainly women of reproductive age (15-49 years), characterized by a set of physical and psychological symptoms. The present study aims to determine the interrelationship between the consumption patterns and expenditure on junk food and the severity of PMS among 150 female university students in West Bengal, India. The Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) was used to evaluate PMS severity, and the participants were categorized into 87 healthy, 46 PMS, and 17 PMDD. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire encompassing food frequency, types of food consumed, timing of junk food intake, and monthly expenditure on junk food. All the statistical analyses were performed in SPSS version 25 using chi-square tests, with a significance level of p≤0.05. No statistical significance was found between the frequency of junk food consumption and the severity of PMS/PMDD. Conversely, monthly expenditure on junk food exhibited a substantial relation with PMS severity (p=0.000). 50% of individuals with PMDD indicated spending more than ₹500 monthly on junk foods, compared to just 8.6% among individuals with lower spending. Henceforth, from the present study, we can conclude that instead of consumption frequency, expenditure on junk food may serve as a potential behavioural indicator of increased risk for PMS and PMDD.