Perception of health, health behaviours and the use of prophylactic examinations in postmenopausal women (original) (raw)
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Health behaviors of postmenopausal women
Menopausal Review, 2014
Introduction: Health status and health-related quality of life of postmenopausal women are issues, which nowadays pose a serious challenge to many domains of science. Climacteric symptoms which occur at this stage of life, lower its quality and make a negative contribution to self-reported health status, are mostly observed in a particular group of women. Evaluation of health behaviors performed using a standardized questionnaire, the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI), may help establish a comprehensive diagnosis of women's health, and thus select effective interventions. A systemic approach to menopause assumes that full fitness of women and good quality of their lives can be maintained not only by means of pharmacotherapy but also other forms of action, especially health education oriented towards changes in the lifestyle and promotion of healthy behaviors. Aim of the study is to perform a HBI-based assessment of women's health behaviors in such categories as healthy eating habits (HEH), preventive behaviors (PB), positive mental attitudes (PMA), and health practices (HP). Material and methods: The study involved 151 healthy postmenopausal women. A research tool was a standardized questionnaire, the Health Behavior Inventory (HBI). Results: The surveyed women obtained 70% of the maximum score on average, which suggests a medium level of health behaviors in this group. The levels of health behaviors in the categories of positive mental attitudes and health practices significantly differed between older women and their younger counterparts (higher levels were observed among older respondents). There were also significant differences in the levels of healthy behaviors between women with secondary and higher education (those better educated declared healthy behaviors more often). There was no correlation between the level of health behaviors and the BMI of the surveyed women. Conclusions: Older women attached greater importance to positive mental attitudes, and so they avoided tension, stress and depressing situations. They also attached more weight to health practices (HP), i.e. the number of hours devoted to sleeping, resting and physical activity. The main determinant of a healthy lifestyle was higher education.
Health seeking behaviour among post-menopausal women: a knowledge, attitude and practices study
Ageing women suffer problems associated with senility along with that of the reproductive tract changes. Unless the woman is treated as a whole, her problem is actually not addressed. With this background, the present study was undertaken with the following objectives: to identify the major health problems of postmenopausal women, to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practices of postmenopausal women in terms of seeking Health care facilities for their problems and to determine the utilization pattern and barriers to utilization of health care services by these women. Methods: It was a community based cross-sectional study conducted in the registered field practice areas of the Department of Community Medicine, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Aligarh from June, 2012 to May, 2013. The study tools consisted of pre-tested and semi-structured proforma and standard Menopausal Rating scale (MRS) questionnaire. Results: Psychological symptoms were reported by 34.3%, somatological symptoms by 60.1% and urogenital symptoms by 59.6% of the study population. To deal with these problems, majority in urban areas said that a doctor should be consulted whereas majority in rural areas either said that they did not know what could be done or traditional or home-based measures should be resorted to. Conclusions: A large majority suffered from ill-health. Most rural women had no access to health services. Lack of knowledge and traditional practices were barriers to utilization of services.
Relationship Between Health-Promoting Behaviors and Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women
Background: Menopause is one of the most important stages of women’s life in the path of development which, comes with a series of other problems. The health status and quality of life issues of the postmenopausal women are serious challenges for many health areas. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between health promotion behaviors and the quality of life of postmenopausal women. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was performed on 200 postmenopausal women in the west of Tehran. The armamentarium for this study was a three-part questionnaire comprising demographic data, the second version of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP II) and Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL). Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical tests using SPSS V. 20. Results: The results showed that the mean score of health promotion behaviors was 2.49 ± 0.47 (in moderate level). More than half of the participants had a good quality of life, an overall quality of life mean score being 70.63 ± 37.49. The overall score of health promotion behaviors and quality of life was better in women who were married, younger aged, with good economic status, employment and those who achieved higher education. Conclusion: The results of Pearson correlation test showed that there is a significant reverse correlation between quality of life and health promotion behaviors in the stress management dimension (P = 0.013). Therefore educational programs are recommended as an effective, economical and safe approach to reducing the menopause problems and augmenting the quality of life.
The importance of preventive health care in post-menopausal women
Maturitas, 2005
Women make up 55% of the total world population. This percentage is set to steadily increase over the next three decades. Europe also has the highest proportion of older women in the world. In fact, there are now approximately 3 women for every 2 men over 65. All of this data confirms the importance of prevention. An ideal approach for the female post-menopausal population would be treatment of any condition that can improve physical, mental and social well-being. Nevertheless, it is understood that the efficacy and cost/benefits of every screening programme need to be analysed. One of the largest and most neglected groups that could benefit from prevention consists of women without hot flushes (asymptomatic women), but with risk factors. The strategic measures are information, research and development of programmes. The more practical approach would be to identify patients and therefore yield better results in terms of health status and improvement. Statistics show that the three main causes of mortality and disability in developed countries for post-menopausal women are cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and osteoporosis-associated fractures. There are agreed recommendations to include some preventive measures for these three disorders in clinical practice for health professionals, at least at the minimal level. Research into the role that other diseases play will allow strategies to be developed in order to enhance prevention. Disorders such as urinary incontinence, dyspareunia, visual and hearing impairment and cognitive dysfunction are seen in significant percentages in post-menopausal women and may affect their quality of life. Health care professionals should bear in mind that many women may be reluctant to raise questions about some disorders spontaneously. Physicians should therefore search for patients with risk factors for these diseases. Prevention and treatment to avoid medical accidents will improve the quantity and quality of life.
Assessment of awareness about Post-Menopausal Symptoms and Preventive Measures
Journal of Scientific and Innovative Research
Menopause refers to the actual cessation of ovarian activity and generally a woman may experience menopause anywhere from her 40s to mid-50s. Overall, stated median age at natural menopause was 51.4 years as per different studies. Female population experience a variety of post menopausal symptoms and due to their weak understanding regarding those symptoms it’s become hard to manage thus this study is being conducted to find out the level of Awareness about post-menopausal symptoms and preventive measures to overcome the problems associated with it. A sample of 300 postmenopausal ladies (40 to 55 years) were questioned to evaluate their level of awareness regarding signs symptoms, post menopausal complications and preventive measures along with their general demographics and menopausal information. Mean age of menopause is found quite early in our population (44.61±3.785 years). Joint pains, Hypertension, depression, anxiety and mood swings are the main self reported effects after m...
Relationship between psychosocial factors and health behaviours for women experiencing menopause
International Journal of Nursing Practice, 2002
This study investigated the psychosocial factors related to the health behaviours of women at menopause. These health behaviours included choice of intervention by women for menopause, particularly consultation of health professionals, use of hormone replacement therapy and preferred information sources. A postal questionnaire was distributed to a structured random population-based sample of 400 women in the 45-54 years age group living in south-east Queensland, Australia. Explanatory variables were: attitudes to menopause, social functioning, mental health, vitality, preventive health practices and lifestyle factors. This study found that information, preventive health practices, attitudes towards menopause, exercise, number of children living at home, years of formal education and working in paid employment, were related to the health behaviours of women at menopause. The study concludes that a number of related psychosocial factors not associated with hormonal changes may influence the health behaviours of menopausal women. It will be important for nurses, other health professionals and counsellors to decide how best to respond to these findings in consultation with the women affected by their decisions.
Factors affecting quality of life in postmenopausal women, Isfahan, 2011
Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 2013
Context: Various studies have shown that quality of life in women after menopause undergoes radical changes. Several factors such as psycho-social factors are associated with the quality of life during menopausal period. Aims: The present study surveyed the factors associated with quality of life of postmenopausal women in Isfahan, based on Behavioral Analysis Phase of PRECEDE model. Settings and Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted through stratified random sampling among 200 healthy postmenopausal women in Isfahan in 2011. Subjects and Methods: Data were collected by two valid and reliable questionnaires (one to assess the quality of life and the other to survey the factors associated with the Behavioral Analysis Phase of PRECEDE model). Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 18) and analytical and descriptive statistics. Results: Pearson correlation indicated a positive and significant correlation between the quality of life and attitude toward menopause, perceived self-efficacy, and enabling and reinforcing factors, but there was no significant relationship between the quality of life and knowledge about menopause. Also, the quality of life in postmenopausal women had significant correlation with their age, education level, marital status, and employment status. Conclusion: Based on the present study, attitude, perceived self-efficacy, perceived social support, and enabling factors are associated with the quality of life in postmenopausal women. So, attention to these issues is essential for better health planning of women.
BMC Public Health
Background Women need special care during and after menopause. Due to the emphasis of the World Health Organization on promoting self-care in postmenopausal women, this study aims to analyze the situation and prioritize the self-care needs of postmenopausal women in the Tehran-Iran. Methods This was a descriptive-analytical study on 486 postmenopausal women aged 46–85 years living in Tehran in 2021. The Subjects were recruited using a multi-stage sampling method. Data were collected using a socio-demographic and a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess postmenopausal women’s self-care status with four domains including physical health, psychosocial health, reproductive-sexual health, and screening tests. The data were analyzed by SPSS-24. Results The mean age of the participants was 62.58 ± 7.75 years. The mean score of self-care was 44.63 ± 21.64% in the postmenopausal women. The lowest score and highest scores were related to psychosocial health (25.12 ± 28.21%) and periodic t...
Psychosocial aspect determines quality of life in postmenopausal women
2016
The postmenopausal period plays an important role in women’s life and gives rise to many physical and mental problems. A cross-sectional was conducted to determine the quality of life and its determinants, namely pyschosocial and lifestyle factors in postmenopausal women. One hundred and seventy-six postmenopausal women meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited. The menopause rating scale (MRS) questionnaire was used for the assessment of quality of life. One hundred and thirty-one (74.4%) subjects had complaints related to menopausal symptoms in 3 degrees of severity: mild (38.6%), moderate (30.7%) and severe (5.1%). Urogenital symptoms were the most frequent complaints reported by the subjects (71.6%). The correlation between quality of life of postmenopausal women and several psychosocial and lifestyle factors, namely marital status, education, occupation, knowledge and attitude towards menopause, exercise, smoking and consumption of caffeine and alcohol wa...
2013
All women will experience menopause by the time they have reached mid life. So it is surprising that, in comparison with other female reproductive experiences such as menarche, pregnancy and childbirth, there is relatively little research from a psychological perspective. The main aims of this study were to explore how women make sense of the menopause, to assess which factors predict symptom severity and treatment utilisation and to explore how women's beliefs about menopause are located within their social context The study comprised three stages. Study 1 was a quantitative study with 149 women to develop new measures to assess women's beliefs. The new belief scales were incorporated into study 2 which was a larger study with 344 women recruited from the general population and from specialist menopause clinics. This study sought to identify the factors that predict symptom severity and treatment utilisation. The main analysis was with 295 women who were peri-and postmenopause. A range of validated scales were used and a treatment utilisation scale was created. Hierarchical multiple regression and structural equation modelling were used to identify predictors of symptom severity and treatment utilisation. A sub-sample of 30 women from study 2 went on to participate in study 3 which was a qualitative study designed to explore how beliefs about menopause influence symptom perception and decisions about treatment in the context of women's daily lives. Diaries were completed and used in interviews in study 3 to enable more accurate recall of the social context of menopause events. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Ninety one percent of the women in this study had sought treatment for menopause symptoms and the main predictors of treatment utilisation was symptom severity and the belief that menopause was a pathological illness. A key finding was that four social constructions of menopause were prevalent in this sample: menopause renders women invisible and unvalued, menopause is an illness that changes women, menopause is amenable to treatment with hormone therapy, and menopause is a temporary phase after which there is recovery. These four beliefs were significantly predictive of perceptions of symptom severity and of treatment utilisation. Furthermore, the social constructions mediated between symptom severity and different categories of treatment utilisation. Qualitative analysis revealed that women have inadequate knowledge of menopause and can be surprised and distressed by its onset, menopause is little talked of and is still 'taboo, menopause is regarded by women as a significant phenomenon that changes them but this is not often acknowledged publicly, women and clinicians have difficulty in making attributions to menopause and neither women nor clinicians are able to define 'normality' at menopause. These findings have major implications for how women interpret their symptoms, for how to manage the expectations of women in their 40s and 50s, and for how clinicians advise women at this stage of their life.