THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH LITERACY FOR THE DYSMENORRHEA WOMEN SELF CARE: A PARTICIPATORY DESIGN OF INFOGRAPHICS FOR THE APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT OF THE MENSTRUAL PAIN

Abstract

Dysmenorrhea is a common condition of abdominal or pelvic pain of gynecological origin. Menstrual literacy is knowledge about the menstrual cycle, the biopsychosocial factors involved in menstrual symptoms and how to take care of menstrual health. Therefore, it is necessary to make health literacy viable for society as an important ally for adherence, motivation and attraction to the educational process. The aim of this study is to develop a set of infographics that support the understanding of menstrual cycle information, self-management of symptoms associated with dysmenorrhea and to explore users' opinions on these infographics and provide preliminary evidence of adequate understanding. Nulliparous women will be included, aged between 18 and 25 years, with a regular menstrual cycle (28 ± 7d), who have menstruated in the last 30 days and with complaints of menstrual cramps. A four-step procedure will be used to create the infographics, which will include a quick review of existing literature followed by collaborative discussions. Next, the most relevant data will be chosen and refined for visual representation and infographics will be created from them. The final step involves evaluating the effectiveness and usability of the infographics. The focus groups will be audio recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions will be checked for the accuracy of the recordings and anonymized, through thematic analysis, assisted by specialized software (Atlas. TI) for organizing the data. Constant comparison will be used to compare and code data between interviews, adopting an inductive approach, and the categories will be organized into a structure to provide themes and subthemes.