title: Improving menopausal symptoms through promoting physical activity: a pilot Web-based intervention study among Asian Americans.
abstract: Based on previous studies, a Web-based physical activity promotion program with educational modules on menopausal symptoms and physical activity has been developed for Asian American midlife women to reduce their menopausal symptoms through increasing their physical activity. The purpose of this pilot randomized intervention study was to determine the efficacy of the Web-based program in improving menopausal symptom experience of Asian American midlife women.
  
  
  
  This was a randomized repeated measures pretest/posttest (pretest, post 1 month, and post 3 months) control group study among 29 Asian American midlife women. Multiple instruments were used, including the Midlife Women's Symptom Index and the Kaiser Physical Activity Survey. The data were analyzed using a mixed-model growth curve analysis.
  
  
  
  Over time, total severity scores decreased for the control group (-0.53, P < 0.10), whereas they did not exhibit a meaningful change for the intervention group. Both study groups experienced improvement in active living habits over time, but such an improvement was greater for the intervention group (β = 0.29, P < 0.001) than for the control group (β = 0.08, P < 0.10). The time × group interactions for total severity scores were not statistically significant anymore after controlling for physical activity (-0.34 for the control group, P = 0.10).
  
  
  
  The findings supported the feasibility of a 3-month Web-based intervention for menopausal symptom management among Asian American midlife women and the preliminary efficacy of the program in increasing their physical activity.
authors.affiliation: 1School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC 2University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 3Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Eun-Ok
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Im
authors.forename: Sangmi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Xiaopeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Sooyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Eunice
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chee
authors.forename: Wonshik
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chee
authors.forename: Hsiu-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001213:Asian; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008019:Life Style; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires