Correlation of physical activity with vasomotor, psychosocial, and physical symptoms of menopausal women in a rural area of Pati Regency, Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Menopause often brings vasomotor, psychosocial, and physical symptoms that challenge women's well-being, yet physical activity offers a promising avenue for relief. Physical activity can improve a person's quality of life. Menopausal women in Pegandan village have varying physical activity and menopausal symptoms but it is currently unknown whether they are correlated. This study investigated the correlation between physical activity and vasomotor, psychosocial, and physical symptoms among menopausal women. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design involving 47 menopausal women from Posyandu Lansia in Pegandan village, Pati regency, Indonesia. They were selected by simple random sampling. Participants' measurements for physical activity were taken using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire. For menopausal symptoms, they were taken using the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire. Spearman's rank correlation was used to examine the relationships between physical activity and the three categories of menopausal symptoms, with significance set at 0.05. Results: The mean PASE score for participants was found to be 107.6±33.6. The mean scores for participant’s vasomotor, psychosocial, and physical symptoms were 2.9±1.3, 2.4±0.8, and 2.7±0.7, respectively. No significant correlation was observed between physical activity score and either vasomotor (P=0.414) or psychosocial (P=0.980) symptom score. However, a significant negative correlation was found between physical activity score and physical symptom score (P=0.004 and rs=-0.412). Conclusion: Encouraging physical activity, even at light to moderate levels, could be an effective strategy to reduce physical symptoms in menopausal women, particularly in rural settings.