Women at mid-life: symptoms, attitudes, and choices, an internet based survey.
OBJECTIVE
This Internet-based survey questioned middle-aged women (age 35-69) regarding their current attitudes, beliefs, symptoms, and treatment choices surrounding the climacteric.


METHODS
448 respondents completed the 189 item, WEB-based survey that included measures of quality of life, lifestyle habits, anxiety symptoms, and questions regarding attitude toward and sources of information about menopause.


RESULTS
Three relationships were hypothesized and supported: frequency of self-reported menopause symptoms would be: (1) negatively associated with healthy behaviors; (2) positively associated with anxiety; (3) positively associated with stress. All measures were self-report. Fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and impatience were the most commonly reported symptoms. No particular symptom was strongly correlated (r > 0.4) to lifestyle behaviors. Questions regarding information exchange reveal that many women are not consulting with their healthcare providers about HRT or frequently discussing alternatives. Many receive health information from lay sources.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need for improved information exchange on this subject. Our results are similar to those found using large randomized telephone survey methods, which supports the use of the Internet as a reliable and convenient venue for gathering data regarding health issues. It is important to consider healthy lifestyle behaviors toward the regulation of the climacteric syndrome.
Conboy
L
L
Department of Health and Social Behavior, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, USA. lconboy@hsph.harvard.edu
Domar
A
A
O'Connell
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008593:Menopause / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires