Abstract
Objective
The aim of this study was to document some of the self-care actions taken by women
in Kelantan to manage their somatic symptoms associated with menopause.
Method
A verified semi-structured questionnaire in the Malay language was administered to
326 naturally menopaused healthy women (mean age of 57.01 ± 6.58 (S.D.) years) residing in Kelantan to determine the prevalence and types of self-care
actions taken for their somatic complaints.
Results
Mean age at menopause was 49.4 ± 3.4 (S.D.) years and 75% of these women were within the first 10 years of menopause.
Of the four somatic symptoms, tiredness was the most prevalent followed by reduced
level of mental concentration, musculoskeletal aches and pains, and backache. The
prevalence of self-care actions was highest for backache (91%) and the lowest for
reduced level of concentration (47.7%), and both prevalence and type of self-care
action appear to depend upon the area of residence, and the educational level of the
subject. Of those who took self-care actions, majority were from urban areas and with
a higher educational level. Although HRT was used for all the four complaints, the
use of pain relief tablets and traditional body massage was more commonly used for
musculoskeletal aches and pains and backache than HRT. There was also a small fraction
of women who had used the traditional herbs like ‘akar kayu’ and ‘jamu’ for these two complaints.
Conclusion
It appears that the self-care actions used by postmenopausal women in Kelantan for
their somatic complaints ranged from HRT to a combination of conventional, traditional,
and alternative remedies. The fraction of women taking self-care action varied from
symptom to symptom and the choice of self-care action also depended upon the education
level, socio-economic status and place where the respondents were domiciled. There
was a tendency for the more affluent and educated women to use more of the modern
practices and slightly less of the traditional remedies whereas the rural women did
the opposite. This is the first study of its kind in Kelantan documenting the self-care
practices of menopausal women for their somatic complaints. Clearly more studies are
needed to document these practices and the effectiveness of these self-care remedies.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 20, 2007
Accepted:
August 27,
2007
Received in revised form:
August 14,
2007
Received:
February 26,
2007
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
