title: Voices from the Hilo Women's Health Study: talking story about menopause.
abstract: Our purpose in conducting this qualitative study was to examine how a multiethnic sample of women living in Hilo, Hawai'i, describe menopause. Interviews were conducted with 185 pre-, peri-, and post-menopausal women aged 45 to 55. We found that pre-menopausal women felt anxious compared with peri- and post-menopausal women's more affirmative attitudes of increasing confidence and freedom in this new cycle of life. A dominant theme was the construction of a post-menstrual identity. Peri-and post-menopausal women's attitudes were not biomedically oriented. Local culture and the island lifestyle may provide a positive atmosphere for women going through menopause.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Anthropology , University of Hawai'i at Hilo , Hilo , Hawai'i , USA.
authors.forename: Lynn A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Lynnette L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Sievert
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reza
authors.forename: Nichole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rahberg
authors.forename: Phoebe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goodloe
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006254:Hawaii; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008019:Life Style; D008593:Menopause / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health