Albaqami Hussam A, Alzahrani Abdulelah A, Altalhi Muhanna J, Alsubaie Abdulrahman F, Alshoail Hamad S, Alziyadi Shatha H
College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, SAU.
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taif University, Taif, SAU.
Cureus. 2023 Jan 31;15(1):e34423. doi: 10.7759/cureus.34423. eCollection 2023 Jan.
Background It is crucial for women to have a good understanding of menopause from a young age, as this natural transition can have significant effects on their lives. Having this knowledge can help them handle the associated changes and improve their overall well-being. This study aimed to assess the level of awareness, attitude, and misconceptions regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and menopause among women residing in the Taif region. Methodology This was a cross-sectional study conducted on the general population in Taif, Saudi Arabia, using an online self-administered questionnaire through Google Forms (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA) from July 2022 to December 2022. The study included women aged between 40 and 65 years. A previously validated questionnaire was used for data collection, which assessed participants' awareness and knowledge of hormone replacement therapy in Taif. A 2-point system was used to grade each variable, where 2 points were given for a correct answer, 0 for an incorrect answer, and 1 for a neutral answer. Consistent with prior use of the questionnaire, participants who correctly answered 75% were considered to have good knowledge and understanding of HRT. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY, USA). Results A total of 383 participants were enrolled in this study. The mean age of the participants was 48 ± 6.2 years (ranging from 40 to 65 years). The mean knowledge score about hormone therapy during menopause was found to be 1.9 ± 2.4 (ranging from 0 to 9) out of 10. Of these participants, 63 (16.4%) were considered to have good knowledge, while 320 (83.6%) had poor knowledge. Additionally, 95 (24.8%) participants agreed to hormone replacement therapy during menopause, 136 (35.5%) believed that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, 74 (19.3%) believed that it decreased the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and 113 (29.5%) believed that it decreased the risk of osteoporosis. The study also found that employment status, previous knowledge about hormone replacement therapy, and current use of it were significantly associated with awareness about hormone replacement therapy (p-value = 0.025, <0.001, and 0.003, respectively), with employed participants, those who heard about it, and those who currently use it tending to have higher awareness level compared to others. Conclusion Our study found that there is a poor level of knowledge and awareness about menopause and hormone therapy among the participants. Employment status was found to be associated with the level of knowledge.
背景 女性从年轻时就充分了解更年期至关重要，因为这种自然转变会对她们的生活产生重大影响。掌握这些知识有助于她们应对相关变化并改善整体健康状况。本研究旨在评估塔伊夫地区女性对激素替代疗法（HRT）和更年期的认知水平、态度及误解。
方法 这是一项针对沙特阿拉伯塔伊夫地区普通人群的横断面研究，于2022年7月至2022年12月通过谷歌表单（谷歌公司，美国加利福尼亚州山景城）进行在线自我管理问卷调查。研究纳入年龄在40至65岁之间的女性。使用先前经过验证的问卷进行数据收集，该问卷评估了参与者对塔伊夫地区激素替代疗法的认知和知识。采用2分制对每个变量进行评分，正确答案得2分，错误答案得0分，中性答案得1分。与该问卷先前的使用情况一致，正确回答75%的参与者被认为对HRT有良好的认知和理解。使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）（IBM SPSS Statistics，美国纽约州阿蒙克）进行统计分析。
结果 本研究共纳入383名参与者。参与者的平均年龄为48±6.2岁（年龄范围为40至65岁）。更年期激素治疗的平均知识得分在满分10分中为1.9±2.4分（范围为0至9分）。在这些参与者中，63人（16.4%）被认为有良好的知识水平，而320人（83.6%）知识水平较差。此外，95名（24.8%）参与者同意在更年期进行激素替代疗法，136名（35.5%）认为其利大于弊，74名（19.3%）认为它降低了心血管疾病风险，113名（29.5%）认为它降低了骨质疏松症风险。研究还发现，就业状况、先前对激素替代疗法的了解以及当前是否使用该疗法与对激素替代疗法的认知显著相关（p值分别为0.025、<0.001和0.003），与未就业参与者、未听说过该疗法的参与者以及未使用该疗法的参与者相比，就业参与者、听说过该疗法的参与者以及当前使用该疗法的参与者往往具有更高的认知水平。
结论 我们的研究发现，参与者对更年期和激素治疗的知识和认知水平较差。就业状况与知识水平相关。
