The longitudinal effects of a perimenopausal health education intervention on the mid-life women in Taiwan

Tsao, Lee-Ing; Su, Mei-Chen; Hsiao, Ping-Ju; Gau, Yueh-Mei; An, Chi; Lin, Kuan-Chia

doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2007.01.013

« Previous Next »Maturitas
Volume 57, Issue 3 , Pages 296-305, 20 July 2007

The longitudinal effects of a perimenopausal health education intervention on the mid-life women in Taiwan

Lee-Ing Tsao
- Department of Research and Development & School of Nursing, National Taipei College of Nursing, Taiwan, ROC
Mei-Chen Su
- Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Institute of Technology, Taiwan, ROC
Ping-Ju Hsiao
- Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Institute of Technology, Taiwan, ROC
Yueh-Mei Gau
- Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Institute of Technology, Taiwan, ROC
Chi An
- Nanya Institute of Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan, ROC
Kuan-Chia Lin
- Health Center, National Taipei College of Nursing, Department of Nursing, Taiwan, ROC
- Corresponding author at: Department of Nursing, Health Center, National Taipei College of Nursing, No. 365 Min Te Road, 11257 Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. Tel.: +886 2 28227101x3312; fax: +886 2 28201461.

Received 28 October 2006; received in revised form 23 January 2007; accepted 24 January 2007. published online 26 February 2007.

Abstract

Objectives

The study purpose was to evaluate the longitudinal effects, after 3 months and 1-year, of a perimenopausal health education intervention for mid-life women in Taiwan.

Methods

This study was conducted at two hospitals and their neighborhood communities (each included three subgroups, traditional Chinese, gynecologic and neighborhood communities), using a parallel-design, control trial for mid-life women. There were three instruments: (1) the Perceived Uncertainty Scale, (2) the Perceived Perimenopausal Disturbances Scale and (3) the Practice of Health Behaviors Scale. The intervention effects from the study baseline to a 1-year follow-up were estimated using the mixed effect model (SAS-MIXED procedure) for repeated measures of health behaviors, perceived uncertainty and perceived perimenopausal disturbances.

Results

A total of 161 women were in the education group, while 174 women were in the control group. After a 1-year follow-up, health education intervention had significantly increased the practice of health behavior in both Chinese medicine subgroups (β=15.39, P<0.001) and gynecologic clinics subgroup (β=10.08, P<0.005). On the other hand, health education intervention had significantly decreased perceived uncertainty in subgroups of Chinese medicine (β=−9.52, P<0.005).

Conclusions

The perimenopausal health education had positive effects in reducing perceived uncertainty and increasing practice of health behavior among women from Chinese medicine clinics after a 1-year follow-up. Women from the gynecologic clinics showed the intervention effects of increasing health behavior after a three month and 1-year follow-ups. However, the women from neighborhood communities did not show any significant intervention effects at follow-ups. It is important to urge the women from communities to promote health practices for their perimenopausal transition instead of just living with their changing health.

Keywords: Longitudinal effects on health education, Perimenopause, Mid-life women