title: Menopausal status and physical performance in middle aged women: a cross-sectional community-based study in Northeast Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine associations between menopausal status and physical performance in middle-aged women from the Northeast region of Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study of women between 40 to 65 years old living in Parnamirim. Women were recruited by advertisements in primary care neighborhood centers across the city. Physical performance was assessed by grip strength, gait speed and chair stands. Menopausal status was determined using the Stages of Reproductive Aging Workshop classification and women were classified in: premenopausal, perimenopausal or postmenopausal. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to model the effect of menopausal status on each physical performance measure, adjusting for covariates (age, family income, education, body mass index, parity and age at first birth).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The premenopausal women were significantly stronger and performed better in chair stands than perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Gait speed did not vary significantly by menopausal status. In multivariate analyses, menopausal status remained statistically significant only for grip strength. In fully adjusted analyses, premenopausal women had grip strength mean of 2.226 Kgf (95% CI: 0.361 - 4.091) higher than the postmenopausal group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides further evidence for the associations between menopause and physical performance in middle-aged women, since grip strength is weaker in peri and postmenopausal women compared to premenopausal, even adjusted for age and other covariates.
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Department, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Saionara M A
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: da Câmara
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Institut de recherché en santé publique, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Maria Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Zunzunegui
authors.affiliation: Axe Santé publique et pratiques optimales en santé, Centre de recherche du CHUQ, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pirkle
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Department, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mayle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Physiotherapy Department, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Álvaro C C
authors.initials: ÁC
authors.lastname: Maciel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement; D010809:Physical Fitness
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