The Accuracy of Early Reproductive History and Physical Activity Participation Recall Across Multiple Age Ranges

Abstract

Background:

The ability to accurately recall specific reproductive health events is an integral aspect of medical decision making and evaluating a female's overall health and wellness across their lifespan. The Health and Reproductive Survey (HeRS) was developed to recall reproductive events and environmental influences on reproductive characteristics throughout the lifespan of a female. This study aimed to determine how reliably women recall certain events during menarche and early reproductive years. It was hypothesized that age at menarche, hormonal contraceptive use, and physical activity would be recalled reliably among all age ranges, while the recall reliability for cycle regularity and length would be more inconsistent with advancing age.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 144 participants (age: 32.73 ± 11.92), completed the HeRS on two occasions spaced 4 months apart to investigate recall reliability. Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to assess the consistency of categorical responses and 95% limits of agreement were used for continuous data.

Results:

Although physical activity changes had greater variability than anticipated (0.79), the recall reliability among the youngest (1) and oldest (0.89) age groups was high, and females were able to consistently recall the age of menarche (0.83), physical activity level (0.9), cessation of period during early reproductive years (0.91), and birth control use following menarche (0.85) and during the early reproductive years (0.9).

Conclusions:

The HeRS is a useful tool for reliably recalling reproductive history and physical activity participation across multiple age ranges and can be utilized to gather crucial information throughout the reproductive lifespan.