Impact of Physical Activity on General Health among Menopausal Women

Abstract

Aim: This study evaluated the role of physical activity in boosting the general health of menopausal women.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Suez-Canal University Hospital, Ismailia, Egypt.Hundred-ninety-one menopausal women were included. Their physical activity was assessed using the internationalphysical activity questionnaire (IPAQ), whereas their general heath was evaluated through the 28-item general healthquestionnaire (GHQ). Data were analyzed using SPSS, and results were considered statistically significant at a p-valueless than 0.05.Results: The majority of the enrolled women had a low-to-intermediate level of physical activity, whereas the rest (24%)encountered a high physical level. We found a statistically significant difference in general health subscales between thelow, intermediate and high physical levels (p < 0.001). In particular, women with low physical activity had higher totalGHQ scores compared to those with high physical activity had the lowest total GHQ scores. Moreover, women who wereobese (p < 0.001), diabetic (p < 0.001) and/or hypertensive (p < 0.001), complaining of vaginal dryness (p=0.02) and/orjoint and muscular discomfort (p < 0.001) had significantly higher total GHQ scores.Conclusion: Physical activity of menopausal women is significantly associated with their general health, as less activewomen had poor general health.