Design and validation of application for mobile device for teenagers and women with dysmenorrhea

• Grant number: 21/11056-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2022
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Mariana Arias Avila Vera
• Grantee: Barbara Inácio Silva
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Dysmenorrhea is a common gynecological condition characterized by discomfort in the abdominal region before or during menstruation in the absence of pelvic disease. The high prevalence of dysmenorrhea is associated with decreased quality of life. This study aims to develop and validate a mobile device application to assess symptoms associated with menstruation and provide guidance for self-management of pain and symptoms. A smartphone application will be developed, in which women will be able to control the onset, pelvic and non-pelvic symptoms (eg irritability), pain intensity, and will receive tips for non-pharmacological self-management of their symptoms, based on reviews systematic reports on dysmenorrhea. The construction and validation of the application will follow the following steps: (1) Modeling: formation of a conceptual model about the problem and definition of the content; (2) Navigation Project: determination of menus, indexes, and scripts in order to facilitate the use of the application by individuals with different educational levels; (3) Abstract Interface: defining the appearance of the system and specifying which interface objects the user can view, as well as the reactions each object should generate. (4) Project implementation: the creation of sounds, images, animations, and videos and transfer to the computer, linked to the Android® operating system (Google, United States). After these phases, the application will be validated based on the analysis of experts (content and interface validation) and the target audience (content and interface validation). (AU)