Learning Objective #1: understand the predictors of quality of life among a sample of Taiwanese women 45 to 60 years of age

Learning Objective #2: understand Taiwanese women's quality of life around the menopause

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The aim of this study was to examine the predictors of quality of life (QOL) among a sample of women who visited a gynecologic outpatient department in a medical center at Taipei. One hundred and thirty eight women 45 to 60 years of age (mean= 52.6, SD=4.1) were recruited. Participants were requested to provide the information about their individual characteristics and to complete the Short Form 36 (SF-36), the Greene Climacteric Scale, and a subscale about lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

Information about participant's individual characteristics was collected by a self-developed questionnaire. The SF-36 is a QOL measure to represent 8 QOL aspects: physical functioning, role limitation due to physical health problems, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role limitation due to emotional problems, and mental health. The QOL score ranges from 0 to 100 in which higher score indicates better health status and higher QOL. The Greene Climacteric Scale was used to measure psychological and physiological menopause symptoms (physical, vasomotor and sexual functions). Information about LUTS was collected because LUTS were often reported by menopausal women.

The mean scores of the 8 QOL aspects ranged from 54.2 to 78.1. Two aspects, role limitation due to physical health problems/emotional problems, were excluded from the multiple regression analyses because normal distributions were not presented. Significant predictor(s) for physical functioning aspect was physical menopause symptoms; for bodily pain aspect were physical menopause symptoms and hormone treatment; for general health aspect were chronic diseases, psychological menopause symptoms and LUTS; for vitality aspect was psychological menopause symptom; for social functioning aspect were psychological and physical menopause symptoms; and for mental health aspect was psychological menopause symptom. Understanding the predictor of QOL among menopausal women is helpful for identifying women at risk. Appropriate management strategies could be designed and delivered to improve women's QOL.