Lay summary
Primary dysmenorrhea can affect up to 71% of women under the age of 25 years with potentially lifelong negative impacts on many aspects of an affected women’s life. There is some evidence that physical activity is an effective treatment/intervention for primary dysmenorrhea, but uptake of exercise as a treatment option amongst young women is low worldwide. The reasons for this are currently unclear. Given the potential benefits of exercise over other treatments (minimal cost and easily accessible), barriers to the therapeutic usage of exercise require further investigation.
Literature reviews and surveys of NZ women and key community stakeholders will quantify the prevalence of, and scale of unmet therapeutic need for primary dysmenorrhea in NZ, as well as barriers to, and interest in exercise as a therapeutic intervention, with a particular focus on wāhine Māori and Pasifika. Together, these results will inform a research programme based on a community-focused exercise intervention.