Abdelmola Amani Osman, Mesawa Rufaydah Mohammad, Hakami Alia'a Mohammed, Ageeli Razan Faiez, Khawaji Ola Abdo, Ageeli Halimah Mohammed, Alabood Zainab Mohammed, Kariri Hadi Dhafer Hassan, Abdelwahab Siddig Ibrahim
Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Psychology, College of Education, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Heliyon. 2024 Jun 14;10(12):e32935. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32935. eCollection 2024 Jun 30.
Healthcare professionals and educators closely monitor the occurrence of climacteric symptoms in women's primes. Knowledge and perception of menopause play a crucial role in improving quality of life. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perceptions of menopause among Saudi women and identify its predictors. This study is the first of its kind in the southern region of Saudi Arabia.
Conducted in accordance with the STROBE guidelines, this cross-sectional study was carried out in the Jazan region from May 2022 to January 2023 and involved 480 Saudi women who provided consent. Data were collected through interviews using a validated questionnaire and random sampling. The questionnaire consisted of four parts: informed consent, demographics, 21 knowledge questions, and ten menopause perception questions. The validity of the content and the internal consistency were evaluated before data collection. Primary healthcare centers were randomly selected from four governorates with a proportional sample size to the population. Descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using IBM-SPSS.
Among the participants, 64 % were under 40 years old, 80 % had experienced menarche between the ages of 10 and 15, 48 % were employed, approximately half held a bachelor's degree, and they had a good family income. The mean knowledge score of the participants was 48.87 ± 11.72, with a minimum score of 27 and a maximum score of 78. In terms of knowledge categories, 56.3 % of the participants (N = 270) were classified as having low knowledge, while 43.8 % (N = 210) were classified as having high knowledge. Most of the participants had positive perceptions and agreed that menopause is a natural event in women's lives. There was a significant positive correlation between knowledge and perception (R = 0.219, P < 0.01). Variable findings were observed regarding the role of explanatory variables in women's knowledge of menopause between univariate and multivariate models. The results of the multivariate model showed that age (46-50 years, OR = 0.42), having children (OR = 1.09), residence (OR = 0.45-5.73) and family income categories (medium: OR = 3.98, good: OR = 3.78, and excellent: OR = 1.95) had a significant impact on knowledge, highlighting the correlation between demographic factors and knowledge.
Based on the study findings, we recommend implementing workplace and community-based activities to increase women's awareness of menopause and incorporating it as an integral part of counseling sessions for women in this age group. Therefore, the results of the study will be shared with the relevant authorities responsible for women's health, enabling them to effectively support and educate women
医疗保健专业人员和教育工作者密切监测处于盛年的女性更年期症状的发生情况。对更年期的认知在改善生活质量方面起着至关重要的作用。本研究旨在评估沙特女性对更年期的认知情况，并确定其预测因素。本研究是沙特阿拉伯南部地区的首例此类研究。
本横断面研究按照STROBE指南进行，于2022年5月至2023年1月在吉赞地区开展，纳入了480名签署同意书的沙特女性。通过使用经过验证的问卷进行访谈并采用随机抽样的方式收集数据。问卷包括四个部分：知情同意书、人口统计学信息、21个知识问题以及10个关于更年期认知的问题。在数据收集之前对内容效度和内部一致性进行了评估。从四个省份中随机选取基层医疗中心，样本量与人口成比例。使用IBM-SPSS进行描述性分析、Pearson相关性分析和多变量逻辑回归分析。
在参与者中，64%年龄在40岁以下，80%在10至15岁之间经历月经初潮，48%有工作，约一半拥有学士学位，且家庭收入良好。参与者的平均知识得分是48.87±11.72，最低分27分，最高分78分。在知识类别方面，56.3%的参与者（N = 270）被归类为知识水平低，而43.8%（N = 210）被归类为知识水平高。大多数参与者有积极的认知，并且认同更年期是女性生活中的自然事件。知识与认知之间存在显著的正相关（R = 0.219，P < 0.01）。在单变量和多变量模型中，关于解释变量在女性更年期知识方面的作用观察到不同的结果。多变量模型的结果表明，年龄（46 - 50岁，OR = 0.42）、生育子女情况（OR = 1.09）、居住地（OR = 0.45 - 5.73）和家庭收入类别（中等：OR = 3.98，良好：OR = 3.78，优秀：OR = 1.95）对知识有显著影响，突出了人口统计学因素与知识之间的相关性。
基于研究结果，我们建议开展基于工作场所和社区的活动，以提高女性对更年期的认识，并将其纳入该年龄组女性咨询服务的重要组成部分。因此，研究结果将与负责女性健康的相关当局分享，使他们能够有效地支持和教育女性。
