The impact of physical activity on psychological well-being in women aged 45-55 years during the Covid pandemic: A mixed-methods investigation

Selected Factors of Psychological Reactions Among Polish Respondents to the Outbreak of Covid-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 global pandemic has had a profound impact on the quality of life and mental state of the community. The aim of the study was the preliminary assessment of social isolation on individual mental state due to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. A detailed online questionnaire was conducted in the period from March 2020 to March 2021 among 587 persons from Poland. Most respondents (46.2%) expect a professional psychological support. This is followed by expectations of psychoeducation (37%) and understanding (34.4%). During the pandemic, most people deal with stress by watching TV series It is a form of escape into a different reality. Obtained results demonstrate that place of residence does not corelate with fear of coronavirus. Statistically significant differences occurred when answers regarding aspects of living during pandemic were checked against gender of respondents. Women experience pandemic-related anxiety more severely than men. This research highlights that psychological care should be part of the wider health care system in the time of crisis.

Socioecological factors influencing physical activity engagement for women across the menopausal transition: a systematic review

IMPORTANCE

Physical activity during menopause can be effective in reducing the physiological changes associated with reproductive aging that increase risks for noncommunicable diseases, yet many women do not meet the recommendations for physical activity.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to synthesize factors influencing physical activity for women across menopausal transition phases using a socioecological approach.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis was used to systematically search 10 databases between 2001 and 2021. A comprehensive search strategy was used to identify studies on physical activity of women in various stages of menopause. A socioecological model was used to categorize the reported barriers and enablers.

FINDINGS

Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings highlight several intrapersonal barriers such as existing health complaints versus enablers such as awareness of the health benefits of physical activity during menopause. Ensuring women's safety, preventing injury, and enhancing exercise self-efficacy were important components of programs. Social support was also an important enabler of women's engagement in activities.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Several barriers and enablers were identified and can inform practitioners and future interventions to encourage physical activity among women in various stages of menopause. For instance, when encouraging physical activity during menopause, practitioners should consider other health complaints, safety, and injury prevention while discussing the benefits of physical activity related to managing menopausal symptoms. There was a lack of theoretically informed studies exploring the barriers and enablers to physical activity for women in various stages of menopause; thus, research designs may not have fully accounted for influences. Future research that combines socioecological and individual theories of behavior is needed to comprehensively understand the complexity of physical activity among women across the menopausal transition.

Menopause as a window of opportunity: the benefits of designing more effective theory-driven behaviour change interventions to promote healthier lifestyle choices at midlife

Menopause is a natural developmental phase that all women go through from their early forties to mid-fifties, marking the transition from the reproductive to the non-reproductive years. This is characterised as the permanent cessation of menses due to progressive ovarian failure. Each woman's experience of the menopause is unique. Biopsychosocial changes occur during this time with some symptoms affecting up to 80 % of women and lasting for 4-5 years from the peri- to post-menopause. Reduced oestrogen may predispose some women to health issues following menopause, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cognitive decline. It is vital to understand how to promote health and well-being to reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions in later life. Increased symptoms and concerns about health during the menopausal transition can be cues to action for some women to actively maintain their health. Menopause represents a window of opportunity to promote health, and to support women to make healthier lifestyle choices, part of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines for menopause management. Identifying appropriate strategies to change behaviour is less clear. Theories of behaviour change can provide frameworks to gain more insight into the facilitators and barriers to behaviour and can inform the researcher on what needs to change. This information can be used to inform the design, content, implementation and evaluation of a lifestyle intervention. This review paper will explore the impact of menopause on health and well-being generally, and the benefits of designing more effective theory-driven behaviour change interventions for menopause.

"Weight loss is my goal and being healthy is my goal… I can get over the hot flashes": a qualitative exploration of menopausal transition experiences and preferences for weight management among White women

OBJECTIVES

A qualitative research study design was used to (1) describe experiences of White women during the menopausal transition, and (2) identify barriers and facilitators for participating in a lifestyle program targeting weight management.

METHODS

Perimenopausal and postmenopausal White women who self-reported a desire to lose or maintain weight participated in focus groups. Women were queried about their past diet, exercise, and weight management practices; menopausal transition; and specific components and considerations for developing a lifestyle program for weight management. Thematic analysis was conducted on coded transcripts and four main themes emerged, each containing three to six subthemes.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight White women (age 54 ± 3 y, body mass index 31.4 ± 9.5 kg/m 2 ) were enrolled. Overall, women felt menopause was a major life event that coincided with weight gain and frustrating body changes. Women already engaged in many different types of exercises and diets to lose weight. Women also talked to healthcare professionals about menopause but were disappointed in the support they received. Women were interested in a lifestyle program that included menopause-specific education, which focused on results beyond weight, which was flexible to their busy lifestyle, and which provided opportunities to build camaraderie among other women experiencing menopause.

CONCLUSIONS

This cohort of White women were interested in receiving menopause information and improving their overall health as part of a lifestyle program targeting weight management during this transition. Building camaraderie with other women affected by menopause is important to women, as is creating a lifestyle program that is flexible with daily life.

Impact of COVID-19 on health of menopausal women: A scoping review

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aims to map and summarize the direct impact of contracting COVID-19, and the indirect consequences of the pandemic on the health of peri- and postmenopausal women.

METHODS

Searches for published studies were conducted in CINAHL, Cochrane, EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO and ProQuest from inception to 26 Oct, 2022. Grey literature and reference lists of included studies were searched. Results are presented as a narrative synthesis and tables.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight studies were selected in this review. Overall, a majority of studies (n = 31) suggest that menopausal women were negatively impacted, while lesser studies (n = 21) concluded that they were not and some studies (n = 14) produced both negative and neutral results. Twenty-three studies presented on the direct health impact of COVID-19 infections on menopausal women. Eleven studies focused on the indirect impact of COVID-19 in terms of contact restriction measures on menopausal health during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. Six studies described the different indirect impact of COVID-19 on health of menopausal women with various characteristics or lifestyles.

CONCLUSION

The direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 on menopausal women on physical, mental health and social wellbeing are largely negative.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on the Psychophysical Health of Post-Menopausal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate lifestyle, menopausal symptoms, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sleep disorders in post-menopausal women throughout the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the impact of menopause hormonal therapy (HT). Materials and Methods: Post-menopausal women were given the following questionnaires: socio-demographic characteristics; lifestyle; history of COVID-19; menopause-specific quality of life (MENQOL), the first part of which refers to the pre-pandemic period ("pre COVID-19") and the second refers to the current period ("during COVID-19"); Beck's depression inventory (BDI); the impact of event scale-revised (IES-R); and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). Results: One hundred and twenty-six women completed all questionnaires, with a mean age of 55.5 ± 6.0 years. The mean menopause duration was 5.7 ± 5.6 years. Twenty-four women were taking HT. A significant mean weight gain, a reduction in physical activity (respectively p < 0.001) and worsened quality of romantic relationships (p = 0.001) were reported during the pandemic. Menopausal symptoms did not vary significantly throughout the pandemic; however, women taking menopausal HT had lower physical (p = 0.003) and sexual (p = 0.049) MENQOL domain scores, lower depressive symptoms (p = 0.039) and better romantic relationships (p = 0.008). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic caused reduced physical activity, worsened food habits and weight gain in post-menopausal women. They also reported a high rate of severe-moderate PTSD and a negative influence on their romantic relationships. Menopausal HT seems to be a potential protective factor for sexual and physical status and for symptoms of depression.

Menopause Osteoporosis and Bone Intervention Using Lifestyle Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Study

Background

The aim of the study was to examine the feasibility for postmenopausal women of a bone-strengthening jumping intervention, which has been previously successful for premenopausal women.

Materials and Methods

Forty-nine participants (mean ± standard deviation [SD] age = 57.8 ± 4.3 years) were randomized into either an exercise intervention or sham-control group in a double-blinded fashion. The intervention consisted of 10 maximal, rest-inserted countermovement jumps, performed three times a week on a hard surface without shoes for 8 months. Sham-control participants performed unilateral balance exercises of equivalent duration.

Results

The jumps were well tolerated, with women in the jumping group completing 95% of the prescribed exercise. Of the participants who completed the study (n = 23 intervention, n = 16 control), there were no significant differences in broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) using quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the calcaneum within and between groups (mean ± SD BUA = 64.9 ± 7.3 and 66.6 ± 6.5 dB/MHz for intervention pre- and post-trial, respectively, versus mean ± SD BUA = 63.6 ± 4.2 and 64.4 ± 4.5 dB/MHz for sham-controls pre- and post-trial, respectively) or for any QUS parameters, although there was a 3% increase in BUA for intervention participants.

Conclusions

Recruitment and participation rates were feasible for this duration of study and the exercise was acceptable. For a future study of this nature, 48 participants would be required to ensure adequate power, especially as lifestyle variations and post-menopausal hypoestrogenism prevent substantial gains in bone strength with high-impact exercise.

"You get what you need when you need it": A mixed methods examination of the feasibility and acceptability of a tailored digital tool to promote physical activity among women in midlife

During midlife (ages 40-60), women experience myriad changes that elevate their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including decreased physical activity (PA). Women cite lack of social support for PA and lack of active peers who can serve as role models as key barriers. Digital tools such as web applications can provide exposure to these social inputs; they are also accessible in daily life and require modest time investment. However, as few tools have been designed to meet the unique needs of women in midlife with CVD risk, our research team previously built a web application that is tailored for this population. In the present study, we used a convergent mixed methods design to develop a deep understanding of the feasibility, usability, and acceptability of this web application in a sample of identified end users. Participants (N = 27, MAge = 53 years, MBMI = 32.6 kg/m2) used the web application at the start of each day for 7 days and completed a 1-hour qualitative interview at the end of this test period. Integration of findings from two-level multilevel models (quantitative) and thematic analysis (qualitative) indicated support for the feasibility, usability, and acceptability of the new web application among women in midlife with CVD risk conditions and identified critical opportunities for improving the user experience. Findings also speak to the utility of options for content selection that can meet women's needs in daily life and highlight women's desire for PA resources that prioritize their perspectives.

Strategies to cope with stress and anxiety during the menopausal transition

The menopausal transition is often accompanied by psycho-vegetative symptoms, including stress and anxiety symptoms. Identifying stress and anxiety and intervening early can have an enormous public health impact. Health care practitioners like obstetrician-gynecologists or family doctors play a critical role in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of stress and anxiety symptoms or disorders, as they often represent women's primary medical contact during the menopausal transition. However, they frequently do not feel confident in identifying and treating mental health problems. The aim of this review was to summarize current (since 2010) knowledge from randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses on diagnostics and treatment options, and to provide clinical decision-making algorithms. The recent literature suggests pharmacological, (cognitive) behavioral, and complementary treatments. The choice about which one to use should be discussed with the patient.

How perimenopause shaped perspectives on life during the pandemic: A study on india's working and non-working women

The menopausal transition is a challenging phase in a woman's life and has been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the association between meaning in life, quality of life, and satisfaction with life among perimenopausal women during the pandemic, as well as to determine if there was a difference in attitudes towards life between working and non-working perimenopausal women. The study sample consisted of 114 perimenopausal women, with 64 being employed and 50 being non-employed. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed, and the results showed that satisfaction with life was positively correlated with both meaning in life and quality of life. Working perimenopausal women had a higher level of satisfaction with life (mean score of 63.24) as compared to non-working perimenopausal women (mean score of 50.14), but there was no significant difference in quality of life or meaning in life between the two groups. The study highlights the impact of various social and personal factors on how women perceive their lives during the pandemic and underscores the need for increased support and resources for perimenopausal women in the workplace. Additionally, promoting menopause awareness in general and in the workplace could help to reduce social barriers and improve women's perspectives on life, leading to an improvement in their overall quality of life and satisfaction with life. This study insisted on the need for giving importance to this stage in women's life-rather passing it just like that. Policy makers in the HR field should make a note to the finding and incorporate necessary amendment in terms of the female workforce.

Mental Health and the Role of Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and its related public health restrictions are having an increasingly serious impact on mental health, and measures need to be taken to curb this trend. The positive relationship between physical exercise and mental health has been well-established, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, with various restrictions, the space and facilities for physical exercise are limited. This article explores the relationship between physical exercise and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the latest research findings published in 2019-2021. We offer a novel model that consists of three central arguments. First, physical exercises during COVID-19, especially supervised exercises, are conducive to enhancing happiness and improving mental health. Second, physical exercise reduces people's anxiety, sadness and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Third, the maintenance and improvement of mental health are related to the intensity and frequency of physical exercise. Intensive and frequent physical exercise are conducive to maintaining mental health. Finally, this article proposes important directions for future research.