Associations between attitudes toward hormone therapy and current use of it in middle-aged women

To investigate the association between attitudes toward hormone therapy (HT) and use of it and explanatory factors for the association found.

All women in two primary healthcare districts aged 45, 50, 55 or 60 in 2000 or 2001 (n=771) received a questionnaire consisting of quality-of-life instruments and items concerning menopause, health, healthcare, symptoms, sociodemographic factors and attitudes toward HT.

A total of 564 women (74%) responded to the questionnaire. In the women with a positive or a neutral attitude, rather than a negative one, the age- and menopause-adjusted odds ratios for current HT use were 18.55 (95% CI 8.55, 40.11) and 2.61 (1.15, 5.93), respectively. Health-related factors, factors concerning one's own person and psychosocial factors were the groups of factors found to contribute to explaining the association between attitudes and current HT use. Together, the three groups of factors explained 42 and 98%, respectively, of a positive and a neutral attitude's association with current use of HT. Individual factors of importance in these factor groups were a feeling of being appreciated outside the home, satisfaction with one's work, marital status, own climacteric period, visits to a physician and past use of hormonal contraceptives. In contrast, level of education and the occurrence of cold sweats/hot flushes was not found to contribute to the explanation.

Factors concerned with women's everyday life, contentment with oneself and use of healthcare services were of importance in explaining the associations between attitudes toward HT and current use of it. Consideration at these factors in counselling women about HT is recommended.