title: Association between anthropometric indices and quality of life in menopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether body mass index (BMI), abdominal obesity or fat distribution influence the quality of life of postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects in this cross-sectional study were 233 postmenopausal women (aged 45-70 years) with an intact uterus and ovaries and who were sexually active and not using hormone therapy. Anthropometric measurements were recorded and subjects were interviewed using a specific health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) instrument, the MENQoL scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to BMI values, 31.5% of the women were obese, 42.2% were overweight, 25.8% were normal weight and none were underweight. However, according to the MENQOL scale results, obese women scored significantly higher on symptoms for physical domains. The women with the android pattern of fat distribution had significantly higher scores in the vasomotor and physical domains (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obesity did not affect global HR-QoL in postmenopausal women, but appeared to have an influence on the psychical domains. Other anthropometric measurements were not associated with differences in HR-QoL. Keeping the anthropometric indices in the normal/premenopausal might improve the quality of life in menopause women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Masumeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghazanfarpour
authors.forename: Somayeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdolahian
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zare
authors.forename: Soodeh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shahsavari
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001837:Body Weights and Measures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio