Workplace physical activity, sitting time, and menopause symptoms

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Menopause research
• Women's health

Background:

• An increasing number of women are employed during menopause.
• Menopause symptoms can negatively impact work capacity.
• The influence of workplace physical activity (PA) and sitting time on menopause symptoms is largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between workplace PA and sitting time and menopause symptom severity.
• To determine if menopause symptom severity predicts adherence to workplace activity guidelines.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design with 264 perimenopausal or postmenopausal women.
• Online questionnaire assessing self-reported workplace PA, sitting time, and menopause symptom severity (menopause quality of life, hot flash interference, symptom severity).
• Multiple linear regression and binomial logistical regression analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• No significant associations were found between workplace PA or sitting time and menopause symptom severity (P > 0.05).
• Menopause symptom severity did not significantly predict meeting workplace activity guidelines (P > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Self-reported workplace PA and sitting time are not associated with menopause symptom severity in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
• Further research using device-based methods is recommended to objectively assess PA and sitting time and their impact on menopause symptoms.