There was a large group of medical students who, despite being aware of benefits of physical activity, did not meet the recommended level of physical activity. Physical therapist students are well trained and qualified to promote healthy habits and encourage individuals to undertake regular physical activity.
Background and Objectives: Menopause is a normal physiological change occurring at a woman’s mid-life. During this time, women experience vasomotor, physical and physiological problems, which reduce their quality of life. Many women are searching for different, alternative methods to reduce the severity of menopausal symptoms. Physical activity (PA) is one of the recommended methods to reduce menopausal symptoms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between specific domains (physical activity during leisure time, at work, during transportation and household activities) and the menopausal symptoms. Materials and Methods: We included 305 women aged 40–65 in the study. All participants were divided into three groups according to menopausal status. The research tools used were the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to assess physical activity level in four domains and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) to assess the severity of menopausal symptoms. The data analysis was performed by Chi-square test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with post hoc Tuckey test. Results: Menopausal stage was significantly associated with the total MRS score (p < 0.001) and specifically the urogenital and somato–vegetative subscores (p < 0.001). Physical activity was significantly associated (p < 0.001) with leisure time (according to IPAQ domains). Most postmenopausal women had high PA level (59.66%). Significantly less women with high PA levels had severe urogenital symptoms: 10.82% of participant with a low PA level, 11.15% with a moderate PA level and 4.26% with a high PA level (p = 0.046). Conclusions: Physical activity during leisure time is associated to menopausal symptoms in Polish women. Women with high and moderate PA levels have less severe menopausal symptoms compared to inactive women. Middle-aged women with low PA levels at work suffer from more severe somato–vegetative symptoms.
Introduction: Hormone-related changes in menopause may negatively affect sexual function.Aim: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate sexual functioning in Polish women with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The secondary aim was to evaluate the major factors affecting sexual functions in middleaged Polish women. Methods: The Menopause Rating Scale was used to assess the menopausal symptoms. The Polish translation of the FSFI was used to assess sexual function. Outcomes: 69.73% of respondents had sexual dysfunction according to FSFI (FSFI score 26.55). Results: 80.61% of women experienced menopausal symptoms during the 4-week period of study. Psychological and urogenital symptoms were the most frequently reported among all the women enrolled in the study (78.23% and 77.21%). Sexual problems were observed in women who did not use hormone therapy (b ¼ 0.09, t ¼ À1.97, P ¼ .048) and showed no somatic symptoms (b ¼ 0.03, t ¼ 2.95, P ¼ .002). Clinical Implications: It is important for health care providers to ask women about this problem and understand the factors that may influence sexual problems in menopause. Strengths & Limitations:A validated survey tool was used. The limitation was selection of participants in the clinical setting and sample population size. Conclusion: Sexual problems were much more common in women who did not use hormone therapy and showed no somatic symptoms. Dąbrowska-Galas M, Dąbrowska J, Michalski B. Prevalence and Associated
Introduction: The menopause transition is associated with decreased health functioning. About 80-90% of women experience mild to severe physical or physiological menopause-related complaints per year when approaching menopause. Physical activity may reduce some climacteric symptoms and improve the quality of life.Aim of the study was to investigate the influence of a 12-week training programme on the quality of life (QoL) in menopausal-aged women living in a rural area.Material and methods: Participants were 80 women aged 40-65 years and divided into two randomly selected groups in training sessions (exercising group, n = 40 and control group, n = 40). SF36 was used to assess the quality of life in both groups before and after 12 weeks. Exercising women participated in training session 3 times a week. Each 60-minute exercise session included warming-up exercises, walking, stretching, strengthening exercises with an elastic band and cooling down exercises.Results: A non-significant positive difference in all SF36 domains in the exercising group was observed. The results of the study showed a statistically significant higher QoL in the exercising group compared to the control group after 12-week training in two domains: vitality and mental health. The improvement in the quality of life in the study group was 0.19 points (role limits -physical domain, least change) and 4.96 (vitality domain, most change).Conclusions: Controlled and regular exercise for 12 weeks was significantly correlated with a positive change in vitality and mental health. Sedentary women should consider modification of their lifestyle to include physical activity as it leads to improvement of their quality of life.
IntroductionObesity is one of the most common nutrition-related disorders worldwide and one of the major health problems in menopausal women, which significantly worsens the quality of life and can lead to severe diseases or even premature death. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relation between physical activity in different domains undertaken by menopausal women while performing daily activities and their body mass index (BMI).Material and methodsThe study was conducted on a random sample of 400 healthy Polish women aged 45-55. The questionnaire contained questions concerning the respondents’ socio-economic status, medical history and the long format of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used.ResultsFifty-one percent (50.6%) of women had normal body mass, 43.75% of respondents were overweighed and 5.65% of women were obese. A moderate physical activity level was presented by most midlife women in domestic and garden domain, active transportation and leisure time. Pearson's correlation showed that such factors as age, education and physical activity level in different domains have a significant correlation with BMI.ConclusionsMost respondents presented a moderate physical activity level in all domains except work, where the respondents had a high physical activity (PA) level. A high PA level especially at work (r = –0.5788) and during leisure time (r = –0.5175) strongly correlate with lower BMI.
Background: Specific academic environment and time spent on learning may lead to sleep deprivation and a sedentary lifestyle. Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint. The purposes of this study were to describe the prevalence of insomnia in medical students, and to examine physical activity levels and other behavioral factors associated with insomnia in this population group. Methods: We included 308 medical students from Poland. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess physical activity levels and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) was used to assess insomnia among students. A multifactor model of analysis was used to analyze variables related to insomnia. Results: A share of 19.2% of medical students were inactive. Insomnia was reported by 36.8% of students. In the multifactorial model, variables such as smoking cigarettes (ß = 0.21, p < 0.001), consuming energy drinks several times a month (ß = 0.21, p = 0.024), or daily stress (ß = 0.44, p < 0.001) had a negative impact on the quality of sleep of medical students. Conclusions: Most medical students are physically active, however, approximately one-third of the medical students experience insomnia. This sleep problem is reported more often in students who experience daily stress or smoke cigarettes.
Background: Physical activity (PA) is a behavioral modality that may help decrease negative symptoms of menopause and enhance some positive aspects of mental health, including self-esteem. Reduced self-esteem may put menopausal women at higher risk of negative outcomes of menopause and result in a more unpleasant and stressful menopausal experience. The objective of this study was to examine the role of physical activity level on self-esteem in middle-aged women. Methods: Women aged 45–60 from Poland took part in this study. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Menopause Rating Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were used in this study. Results: Among the 111 women, the mean age was 51.7 ± 4.7. The most severe symptoms among studied women concerned sexual problems (1.71 ± 1.5), irritability (1.58 ± 1.37) and joint and muscular discomfort (1.56 ± 1.55). Women with higher total PA level had better self-esteem (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that physical activity levels can be associated with self-esteem. Most middle-aged women reported high physical activity levels. These results have clinical implications for the inclusion of PA in the lives of middle-aged women to improve self-esteem and mental health.
StreszczenieOkres klimakteryczny to czas, w którym kobiety doświadczają nieprzyjemnych objawów wypadowych o róż-nym nasileniu. Szacuje się, że ok. 85-89% kobiet deklaruje odczuwanie nieprzyjemnych objawów klimakterycznych będących wynikiem zmian hormonalnych, co pogarsza ich komfort życia i sprawia, że ten okres staje się szczególnie trudny. Istotnym modyfikacjom ulegają zachowania seksualne dotyczące zmiany libido, obniżenia zainteresowania seksem oraz pożądania seksualnego, co w połączeniu z suchością pochwy często powoduje dyskomfort podczas stosunków płciowych. Mimo poglądu że aktywność seksualna zmniejsza się w okresie około-menopauzalnym wraz z zanikiem produkcji estrogenów, wyniki badań zaprzeczają tej tezie. Wybór metody terapii zaburzeń seksualnych kobiet w okresie okołomenopauzalnym powinien uwzględnić etiopatogenezę i stopień nasilenia dysfunkcji, a ryzyko występowania działań niepożądanych, wynikających ze stosowanej terapii, nigdy nie powinno przewyższać płynących z niej korzyści. Indywidualnie dobrana terapia hormonalna (menopausal hormone therapy -MHT) stanowi powszechnie stosowaną metodę łagodzenia objawów menopauzalnych. Naturalne metody bazujące na zmianie stylu życiu, regularnej aktywności fizycznej i racjonalnej diecie są alternatywą dla kobiet w łagodzeniu dyskomfortu związanego z okresem okołomenopauzalnym. Aktywność fizyczna stanowi bardzo istotny element zdrowego trybu życia, wpływający bezpośrednio lub pośrednio na inne nawyki. Promocja zdrowego stylu życia jest szczególnie ważna w uświadomieniu pacjentkom konieczności zadbania o zdrowie, zrezygnowania z nałogów, wdrożenia w życie codzienne regularnej aktywności fizycznej i zdrowego żywienia.Słowa kluczowe: menopauza, jakość życia, aktywność fizyczna. SummaryThe climacteric period is a time when women experience many unpleasant symptoms with different intensity. It has been reported that 85-89% of women experience climacteric symptoms resulting from hormonal fluctuations, which affect their quality of life, therefore this time can be difficult for women. During menopause sexual behaviours are modified because of low libido, decreased interest in sex and sexual desire, and vaginal dryness which cause discomfort during sexual intercourses. Despite the opinion about a decrease in sexual activity caused by a low level of estrogen during menopause, the results of different studies contradict this thesis. Etiopathogenesis and the intensity of sexual dysfunctions should be considered before choosing treatment in menopausal women, and undesirable effects of the therapy should never exceed its benefits. Individually tailored menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is commonly used to ease menopausal symptoms in women with moderate or severe intensity of these symptoms. Natural methods such as making positive lifestyle changes, regular physical activity and healthy diet represent an alternative for menopausal women suffering from some climacteric syndromes. Physical activity is one of the major lifestylerelated determinant which directly or indirectly in...
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