Abstract
Objectives
Describe changes and examine the association between depressive symptoms, physical
activity, body mass index (BMI), and perceived health among Latina (n = 81) and White (n = 151) women in the first year of the late-premenopausal stage.
Methods
Longitudinal study focused on the biopsychosocial health of midlife women (ages 40–50
years) with regular menstrual cycles and not taking hormones. Frequency of depressive
symptoms, BMI, waist to hip ratios, and self-reported physical activity levels were
obtained at 6-month intervals and perceived health at 12 months. Results are reported
here for 232 women who remained premenopausal (low FSH/regular cycles) for the first
12 months.
Results
Depressive symptoms were similar for Latinas (11.1 ± 9.8) and Whites (11.1 ± 8.2) and increased by 2.3 points over time for all women. Latinas had higher BMI (28 ± 5.7, p < 0.01) than Whites (26 ± 5.7). Body weight increased an average of 1.2 lbs over 12 months for both groups. Both groups reported sub-optimal levels of physical
activity that did not change over time, but Latinas reported higher levels at all
3 time points. Controlling for age and ethnicity, women in service or agricultural
occupations reported higher activity levels than women in other roles. Better perceived
health at 12 months was predicted by lower baseline BMI (r = 0.43, p < 0.01) and fewer depressive symptoms (r = 0.38, p < 0.01).
Conclusions
Depressive symptoms, weight gain and physical inactivity among women in the late-premenopausal
stage point to the need for interventions focused on causal factors other than hormonal
changes and menopause.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 18, 2006
Accepted:
October 11,
2005
Received in revised form:
October 8,
2005
Received:
May 10,
2005
Identification
Copyright
© 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
