Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors and Menopausal Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: One of the factors influencing the modification of menopausal symptoms is healthpromoting behaviors (HPBs). Nevertheless, women do not have sufficient knowledge about HPBs and do not earn the required information and training in this field. The current study was thus performed to study the relationship between HPBs and menopausal symptoms (MSs) among Iranian postmenopausal women (PMW). Methods: Using stratified random sampling, this current cross-sectional study was carried out on 300 PMW covered by Neyshabur healthcare centers in 2022. Data gathering was conducted using three questionnaires: demographic characteristics, health-promoting lifestyle profile-II (HPLP- II), and menopause rating scale (MRS). Pearson correlation test and stepwise regression analysis were used for analyzing data by SPSS v. 22, and the significance level was less than 0.05. Results: The mean age and menopausal age of participants were 56.4 (4.1) and 49.4 (3.3), respectively. There was a significant negative statistical relationship between the total score of HPBs and its subscales and MSs (P<.05). Physical activity, spiritual growth, and having chronic diseases were found to be independent predictors of MSs. Conclusion: Based on the findings, there was an adverse correlation between HPBs and MSs in the women who participated in the study. Executing educational programs focusing on maintaining and promoting a healthy lifestyle can reduce MSs; as a result, increasing overall women’s quality of life.