Health information needs of 1000 midlife Singaporean women

Due to demographic changes, aging is a health priority. We aimed to identify midlife women's perceived health information needs and the preferred method(s) of information delivery.

A questionnaire was offered to women, aged 45-69 years, attending gynecological clinics during April/May 2016, collecting age and ethnicity data. Participants were asked to indicate important midlife health topics out of 26 topics, including 'other'. For each topic, six delivery options were offered. Age was stratified by 5-year intervals. Associations with age and ethnicity were examined using Pearson's chi-square tests (p < 0.05); analyses were performed with SPSS version 22.0.

The top health topics chosen were gynecological cancer (66.0%), joint/muscle aches and pain (64.4%), bone health (63.2%), breast screening (55.9%), and heart health (55.3%). Adjusted results from the logistic regression model found that the odds of choosing the topics gynecological cancer, cervical screening, and complementary and alternative medicine for menopausal symptoms were significantly lower in age groups 55-59, 60-64 and 65-69 years compared to age group 45-49 years. Both Malay and Indian women were less likely to report bone health as important (odds ratio = 0.59, 95% confidence interval = 0.41-0.86) and (odds ratio = 0.64, 95% confidence interval = 0.42-0.98), respectively. Written leaflets were chosen by the majority (84.7%).

This study of over 1000 midlife Asian women found that holistic health information is desired and requires tailoring by age, not ethnicity. Written information was preferred over support groups. These findings will guide clinical health services in delivering patient-centered information resources for midlife women.