Knoweledge, Attitude and Practice among Women Toward Premenstrual Syndrome Attending Ministry of Health Primary Health Care Centers in Taif City, Saudi Arabia

Background: Research on premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is generally lacking in the Gulf countries, a region with unique cultural features that might influence expectations and selfperception of the disease. Little, if any, is known about the knowledge and attitude among women in Taif toward PMS. The shortage of such data in the general female Saudi population, too, emphasizes this concept, and hence the need to research on it. Objectives: To study knowledge and attitude of woman attending PHCCs, MOH toward PMS as well as to identify factors affecting them. Subjects and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted consists of Saudi female aged 13-50 years attending PHCCs, MOH in Taif. Taif city has 17 PHCCs affiliated to MOH, among which 8 centers were selected, using random number generator software program. The participants were selected using "systematic random sampling" technique. The spacing unit between sample fractions was 4, thus, every 4th patient was selected. An Arabic self-administered questionnaire was used. It consisted of four sections. The first section is on the socio-demographic and reproductive characteristic of the participants. The second section covered the medical and reproductive history. The third section addressed PMS diagnostic criteria, as developed by the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) and the National Institute of Mental Health which. The fourth section of the questionnaire involved their knowledge about PMS.