Exercise Habits, Preferences, Barriers, and Facilitators in Midlife Women

Menopause usually occurs in midlife and is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases, which can be lowered with exercise. Desired attributes and characteristics of exercise in midlife women are not well-studied. The purpose of this study was to assess exercise habits, preferences, barriers, and facilitators in midlife women.

In this cross-sectional study, women aged 45-55 yr were invited to participate in an online survey assessing menopause stage and exercise habits, preferences, and interests. Participants were recruited using social media and mass emails sent to employees from a large midwestern university. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Poisson regression, and McNemar's test. Regression models included age, race, educational attainment, current physical activity, and past physical activity as independent variables.

Eight hundred fifty-seven women who met age screening criteria responded to the survey. Of the 857 total participants, 419 (49.1%) reported regular exercise participation of ≥30 min on most days per week, with most women reporting participation in light aerobic physical activity (668/857; 78.0%); 449 women (52.4%) reported that having a structured exercise program is helpful for participating in exercise. Factors associated with being highly active or active recently included greater physical activity level 1 yr ago (incidence rate ratio: 1.31, 95% confidence interval: 1.28-1.35; P = 0.00) and greater educational attainment (incidence rate ratio: 1.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.05; P = 0.004) in adjusted models. Lowering the risk of chronic diseases was rated as an important health outcome. Preferences were not different by menopause status.

Exercise programs could be structured and prioritize time-effectiveness and lowering the risk of chronic disease to appeal to midlife women. These data may inform the development of targeted exercise interventions.