Impact of Dietary Habits, Physical Activity, and Stress on Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study From Pakistan.

AIM: Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) is a common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. It is associated with various lifestyle and psychological factors. The research aims to evaluate the impact of dietary patterns, physical activity, and stress levels on the severity of PMOS.

METHODS

The current study used a cross-sectional study design, and data were collected from 384 PMOS patients attending selected healthcare facilities in Lahore. Participants were recruited through a non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to assess the differences in dietary patterns, physical activity, and stress levels across PMOS severity groups. Statistical significance was considered at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

In present research, weight (p < 0.001) and family history (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with PMOS severity among all the sociodemographic characteristics. On evaluating the PMOS patients on DASS 21, highest proportion of responses was observed in category 1, ranging from 37.2% to 52.6%, with the item "I felt I wasn't worth much as a person" showing the highest percentage (52.6%). Our findings also demonstrate the moderated level of psychological load on participants. Overall, dietary pattern (p < 0.017). Physical activity (p < 0.001) and stress levels (p < 0.012) were found to be significantly associated with severity of PMOS.

CONCLUSION

These findings emphasize the importance of adopting healthy dietary habits, engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining an optimal body weight, and implementing effective stress-reduction strategies may help alleviate symptoms, enhance quality of life, improve psychological well-being, and reduce the long-term complications associated with PMOS in women.