Quality of life in low-income menopausal women attending primary care clinics

Objective: To examine the quality of life and health status of a population of menopausal age primary care attendees that demographically has not been well represented in previous studies, and to describe the relationships between population characteristics and outcomes. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Community primary care clinics. Patient(s): Women 45-60 years of age within 5 years of their last period. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Participants provided demographic information and completed a series of questionnaires, including the Menopause Quality of Life Instrument (MENQOL) and the Short Form-36 health survey (SF-36). Result(s): Women who were employed, had higher levels of education, or higher levels of income reported better overall health and fewer menopausal symptoms. The study population scored significantly lower than the national norms on a summary survey of mental and physical health. There were no significant differences between ethnic groups with respect to either menopausal quality of life or health status. Conclusion(s): In a generally low income, poorly educated menopausal population, ethnicity did not significantly affect quality of life. Socioeconomic characteristics (less education and lower income) were associated with increased menopausal symptoms.