A groundbreaking randomised controlled trial (RCT) has demonstrated that the Flo app, the #1 most downloaded women’s health app with 70 million global monthly active users, significantly improves health literacy and further helps women improve how they manage their PMS and PMDD symptoms after using Flo for three months. Working in collaboration with experts at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Virginia, and Texas Christian University, the study highlights the crucial role of health literacy in empowering women and promoting gender equality.
Health literacy is defined as the ability to access, understand and use health information to make informed decisions. It is crucial for maintaining good health for individuals, families, and communities. Low menstrual health literacy has been linked to inadequate self-care, reduced physical and mental well-being, and limitations in daily activities. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasises that health literacy is central to achieving gender equality and empowerment. In its inaugural Health Literacy Report, Flo identified stark knowledge gaps as well as women’s desire to improve their health literacy, with 70% of US women wanting to grow their knowledge of women’s health.
Flo offers a comprehensive suite of features, including menstrual cycle and symptom tracking, a library of medically reviewed health content and a safe and supportive community for health discussions. When women have access to these tools, their health knowledge improves, as do many other measures of health. Flo’s first RCT now demonstrates that these gaps can be addressed through the use of Flo, with its extensive medically reviewed content library covering many aspects of women’s health.
The RCT revealed that women generally have low levels of health knowledge. However, after using the Flo app for 12 weeks, participants reported significant improvements compared with the control group in several key areas:
- Improved understanding of reproductive health
- Enhanced awareness of menstrual cycle patterns and symptoms
In addition to improved knowledge, the study also found improvements in the following areas after using the Flo app for 12 weeks:
- Better self-reported general health and well-being
- Increased confidence in managing health
- Improved discussions about health with others
- Decreased feelings of shame or embarrassment about menstruation
- Reduced anxiety about unintended pregnancies
In a separate trial focusing on Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), after using the Flo app for three months, participants reported significant improvements compared with the control group who did not use the app:
- Reduced PMS/PMDD symptom burden
- Decreased time off work or study with 1.6 fewer days of absenteeism on average
- Improved knowledge about PMS and PMDD
These findings are of a particular importance as nearly half of women with periods across the globe have PMS, and nearly one in 10 have PMDD. Together, these two reproductive health conditions have a greater impact on quality of life than type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure in terms of pain.