Health-related and socio-demographic correlates of physical activity level amongst urban menopausal women in Nigeria.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the physical activity (PA) level of Nigerian women aged 40-60 years and examine possible association between the PA level and some health-related and socio-demographic variables.


METHODS
This is a cross-sectional study of 547 women in which a purposive sampling method was used to recruit participants in urban centers of three states from three geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-short form, was used to assess PA level. A self-administered 13-item semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain health-related (menopausal status, perceived health status, health problems, menopausal symptoms) and socio-demographic (age, marital status, educational level, occupation, personal income) information from participants. Chi-square and logistic-regression analysis were used to assess association between PA level and these variables.


RESULTS
The mean age of participants was 49.21±5.2 years, comprising 184 (33.6%) premenopausal, 129 (23.6%) perimenopausal and 234 (42.8%) postmenopausal women. Most of the women in the three menopausal groups reported moderate PA level. No significant association was observed between PA level and menopausal status (P=0.348), health problems (P=0.079) or any of the menopausal symptoms and age-group (P=0.381) of the women. PA level had a direct significant association with perceived health status (P=0.001) and educational level (P=0.000).


CONCLUSIONS
Menopausal women in Nigeria reported a moderate PA level. Self-perception of good health, having secondary/post-secondary education, were directly associated with not being of a low PA level.
Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. yemfide@yahoo.com
Omoyemi Olubunmi
OO
Ogwumike
Bashir
B
Kaka
Olufemi
O
Adegbemigun
Taiwo
T
Abiona
D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009549:Nigeria; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population