Title: Prevalence and determinant factors of premenstrual syndrome among secondary and
preparatory school students in Dessie city administration, Northeast Ethiopia
Version: 3 Date: 09 May 2024
Reviewer's report:
1. In the "Abstract" section, "Methods: - An institutional-based". What does the symbol "-"
signify? Moreover, the format "95% CI=0.34, 0.86" should be written as "95% CI: 0.34-0.86".
Please revise accordingly.
2. The "Abstract" section includes several abbreviations such as PMS, AOR, CI, etc., without
their full forms provided. Please specify the full forms.
3. The "Abstract" section , "Conclusion: A significant number of students in this study
were affected by premenstrual syndrome." Consider using a different description. Also, the
conclusion lacks mention of strategies to reduce the occurrence of PMS; additionally, the advice
"Students should consult with a healthcare professional to discuss any concerns regarding longer
menstrual bleeding, and health care providers should increase awareness of premenstrual-related
symptoms in adolescent girls" seems unrelated to the study’s focus on PMS, as it emphasizes
"longer menstrual bleeding". This needs correction.
4. The phrase "students in Dessie secondary school" is not suitable as a keyword.
5. The "Introduction" section is overly detailed and lacks clear logic. It should start with the
background of the disease, current status, its impact, and then link to the local context, proving
the analysis is worthwhile. The first sentence of the first paragraph seems irrelevant to the
article's theme and should be deleted. The subsequent paragraphs require streamlining and
modifications for clarity.
6. "The research was conducted in secondary and preparatory schools in Dessie city
administration, located approximately 400 km from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia." It is sufficient to
mention the area and school names without additional location details.
7. "Dessie has an estimated population of 151,174." The purpose of stating the total population of
Dessie is unclear if the study only analyzes students, not the entire community. Please consider
removing this detail.
8. Why exclude "who were attending night programs"? Please specify the detailed reasons, as
this factor is controllable and should not be used as an exclusion criterion.
9. Line 126, "382*10%=37.6~38, 382+38) *1.5=630 participants." What does this mean? The
parenthesis appears mismatched. Also, the author should only mention the formula here; detailed
calculations should be in the results section. Placing all content here is confusing.
10. Line 128, "The 95% CL" - what is this?
11. Lines 131-132, these results should be moved to the results section, not appear in the
methodology.
12. Lines 156-167, the discussion of different degrees of PMS affecting health should also be
mentioned in the "Introduction" section.
13. Lines 229, "(Table 4)." Why is "4" in italics? This issue also occurs at line 263, but some
table numbers are not italicized. Please make this consistent.
14. Lines 265-267, "This study revealed that the prevalence of PMS was 22.4%, 95% CI:
19%-26%. These findings were in line with those of Jimma University students (11) and those
of Zagazig University, Egypt (29)." The wording "in line with" suggests exact alignment, which
might undermine the significance of this study. Consider using "similar to" or "comparable with"
instead.
15. The purpose of paragraphs 2-4 in the discussion section (lines 268-287) is unclear. Please
streamline and better align with the study's results.
16. "Strength and Limitation of the study" - The sample size of over 600 is not considered large.
This section needs a complete revision.
17.In the "Conclusion" section, please simplify to highlight the main results and potential
guidance value of this study.
18.Please check the abbreviations throughout the whole text.