Sharp Gemma, Fernando Anne Nileshni, Davis Susan R, Randhawa Alisha
Department of Neuroscience, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
J Eat Disord. 2024 Nov 14;12(1):179. doi: 10.1186/s40337-024-01139-0.
The pronounced changes in reproductive hormones, such as oestradiol and progesterone, that occur during the menopause transition can contribute to increased risk of eating disorder onset or exacerbate a pre-existing eating disorder. Despite this heightened risk, there is a lack of available education and support that takes into consideration the unique challenges of experiencing an eating disorder during the menopause transition. This research aimed to qualitatively explore the perspectives of people with a lived experience of an eating disorder during the menopause transition, and to co-design a support option that addressed their unmet needs.
A Double Diamond co-design process was followed involving four phases: discover, define, develop, and deliver. Seventeen women in Australia with a lived experience of an eating disorder during the menopause transition participated in online workshops across the four phases to identify their unmet health educational needs in experiencing an eating disorder during this transition, develop potential solutions and ultimately deliver a prototype solution in the final phase. All online workshops were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. The findings from the previous phase informed the next leading to the prototype creation.
Qualitative thematic analysis identified six major themes across the four phases; lack of awareness of the intersection of menopause and eating disorders, lack of education, limited and stigmatising services, learning from lived experience, resource impact and resource development.
Findings from this study provided preliminary acceptability of a novel online resource to address the unmet educational needs of people experiencing an eating disorder during the menopause transition. Overall positive feedback on the potential for the resource to improve knowledge and empower treatment-seeking was provided by women with lived experience.
围绝经期过渡期间发生的生殖激素（如雌二醇和孕酮）的显著变化，可能会增加饮食失调发病的风险，或使已有的饮食失调症状加重。尽管存在这种高风险，但目前缺乏针对围绝经期过渡期间经历饮食失调所面临的独特挑战的教育和支持。本研究旨在定性探索围绝经期过渡期间有饮食失调经历者的观点，并共同设计一种能够满足其未满足需求的支持方案。
采用双钻石共同设计流程，包括四个阶段：发现、定义、开发和交付。澳大利亚17名在围绝经期过渡期间有饮食失调经历的女性参与了四个阶段的在线研讨会，以确定她们在围绝经期过渡期间经历饮食失调时未得到满足的健康教育需求，开发潜在解决方案，并最终在最后阶段提供一个原型解决方案。所有在线研讨会均进行了录制、逐字转录，并使用定性主题分析进行分析。前一阶段的研究结果为下一阶段提供参考，从而形成原型。
定性主题分析在四个阶段确定了六个主要主题；对围绝经期和饮食失调交叉点的认识不足、缺乏教育、服务有限且带有污名化、从亲身经历中学习、资源影响和资源开发。
本研究结果为一种新型在线资源的初步可接受性提供了依据，该资源旨在满足围绝经期过渡期间有饮食失调经历者未得到满足的教育需求。有亲身经历的女性对该资源在提高知识水平和增强寻求治疗能力方面的潜力给出了总体积极反馈。
