Factors Associated With Negative Self-Rated Health of Middle-Aged Women

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate factors associated with negative self-rated health among middle-aged women treated at a climacteric outpatient clinic. Method: This is a cross-sectional, analytical study conducted with 116 women assisted in the period between March 2015 and March 2020 at the climacteric outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Cuiabá, MT, Brazil. Data were collected through telephone interviews from October 2020 to January 2021, using a questionnaire containing questions about sociodemographic, health and psychosocial data. Self-rated health was checked by asking the subjects how they rated their health. The association measure used was the prevalence ratio and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Poisson’s multiple regression was used in the multivariate analysis. Results: Most middle-aged women in this study (54.3%) had negative self-rated health. The factor associated with the outcome was menopausal symptoms (p< 0.001), identified in the severe menopausal symptoms category PR= 2.95 (95%CI 1.4-6.3). Conclusion: The higher prevalence of negative self-rated health among the women in this study is probably related to the life stage they are experiencing. Menopausal symptoms are associated with women’s perception of health due to their discomfort and consequent impact on their lives.