Physical Activity and Quality of Life During Menopause

The majority of American women will experience bothersome menopausal symptoms at some point during their menopausal transition, which may impact negatively on their perceived quality of life (QOL). The evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) may attenuate these adverse outcomes and enhance QOL in middle-aged women. However, only a few experimental studies examining these relationships exist. This study involved a randomized controlled exercise trial with two main objectives: (a) to assess the efficacy of 4-month walking and yoga programs to attenuate menopausal symptoms and enhance menopause-related well-being and QOL, and (b) to assess potential mediators of the PA - QOL relationship in a sample of 164 healthy, low active, symptomatic middle-aged women (M age = 49.9). Participants completed measures of self-esteem, self-efficacy, mood, symptoms, QOL, and assessments of their body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness at the beginning and end of the 4-month study with random assignment into one of three conditions: walking, yoga, or wait-list control. A series of repeated measures multivariate analyses of covariance indicated that the walking condition was the most effective in the enhancement of mood and menopause-related QOL as compared to the yoga and control conditions. Barriers and exercise self-efficacy declined in all three groups across the intervention, with the greatest decreases in the yoga group. No statistically significant time-by-group interaction effects were detected relative to self-esteem or menopausal symptoms although the pattern of effect sizes indicated the greatest esteem enhancements and symptom reductions in the walking group, followed by smaller effects in the yoga, and small or no changes in the control group. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that residual changes in menopause-related QOL were associated with residual changes in symptoms in the walking group and residual changes in mood and physical self-worth in the yoga group. These results suggest that a 4-month walking program is effective in the enhancement of mood and menopause-related QOL in previously low-active, symptomatic middle-aged women and that mood, symptoms, and physical self-worth appear to play some role in the PA - QOL relationship.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology and Community Health

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Elavsky, Steriani

Contributors dc:contributor

• McAuley, Edward

• Women's Studies

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3223585

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/86378