Correlation between physical activity, appetite, and body composition during menopausal transition and postmenopause...

Hormone fluctuations in women are accompanied by an increase in obesity. Although obesity has various causes, the interaction between obesity and menopausal status remains unclear.

This study aimed to investigate the interaction between lifestyle physical activities (PAs), such as occupational and household activities, and purposeful exercise, such as sports, with appetite and their correlation with body composition during the menopausal transition (MT) and postmenopausal (PM) phases.

This was a descriptive cross-sectional design.

Women aged 42-62 years, in the MT or PM phases, were included. PA and appetite were measured using the validated Beacke questionnaire and the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire, respectively. Body weight, height, waist circumference, and hip circumference were measured to estimate the body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).

A total of 101 women were included in the study. A significant positive relationship was found between appetite and PA in the MT group (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). In the MT group, PA (β = -0.38, p = 0.009) and appetite (β = 0.42, p = 0.004) predicted 16% of the BMI, while PA and appetite predicted 16% of the WHR. Only PA contributed significantly to the prediction of WHR (β = -0.33, p = 0.0.02). In the PM group, PA and appetite predicted 15% of the WHR (p = 0.030), and PA was a significant predictor of the WHR (β = -0.29, p = 0.0.03). There was no significant difference between the BMI and WHR in active women who regularly performed purposeful exercise compared to inactive women during the PM phase (p > 0.05). However, the appetite of active women was higher than of inactive women (p = 0.003).

Menopausal status was effective on obesity indices, appetite, and PA. Lifestyle PA was superior to appetite in predicting obesity indices during the MT and PM phases, and particularly during PM; hence, PA was more important than exercise in determining obesity.