title: Factors predicting current use of hormone replacement therapy among menopausal Jewish women in Israel. The National Women's Health Interview Survey, 1998.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the controversy regarding the risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy, studies in various countries report a two- to threefold increase in the use of HRT during the last decade.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of HRT use among post-menopausal Jewish women in Israel and to determine the variables predicting current HRT use.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted in 1998 on a random sample of Jewish women aged 45-74. Of 935 women who were located and eligible, 704 (75%) were interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 589 women (85%) were peri-menopausal or post-menopausal. Ninety-nine of them (16.8%) were currently using HRT and 78 (13.2%) were past users. Higher rates of current use were found among women who had undergone hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy (38%) than among all other women (13.5%). Among naturally menopausal women the highest rate of current use (25.6%) was found in those aged 55-59. A multiple logistic regression showed that the variables associated with current HRT use among naturally menopausal women were: having a regular gynecologist (odds ratio 3.6, 95% confidence interval 1.7-7.5), visiting a gynecologist during the past year (OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.4-6.0), experiencing symptoms of menopause (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.01-3.8), having more than a high-school education (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.04-3.6), and a lower body mass index (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.99).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The factors associated with HRT use may be markers for other socioeconomic or psychological characteristics. The disparities noted between population subgroups may be indicative of differences in awareness or in the delivery of preventive healthcare services to women in Israel, and as such need to be addressed by the health system.
authors.affiliation: Israel Center for Disease Control (ICDC), Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: Dafna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Merom
authors.forename: Anneke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ifrah
authors.forename: Irit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cohen-Manheim
authors.forename: Ayelet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chinich
authors.forename: Manfred S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007585:Jews / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000208:ethnology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors