Quality of life in middle-aged women in Havana

Abstract

Introduction: different instruments exist to evaluate the quality of life, subjective concept and multidimensional. One of them is WHOQOLBREF, proposed by the World Health Organization. In Cuban women, the clinical manifestations of the climacteric syndrome are known, nevertheless, their imprint on the quality of life, is a little pointed out aspect.
Objectives: describe the characteristics of the quality of life and its association with biological and social factors in middle-aged women in Havana.
Methods: four hundred women aged 40 to 59 years, 200 interviewed in primary care and 200 in specialized climaterium clinics were studied. Biological factors such as age, climacteric stage, intensity of climacteric syndrome and social factors such as work activity and gender overload were identified. WHOQOL-BREF instrument was applied to obtain the perception about their quality of life. Student t tests, X2 and multiple logistic regression were used to identify the influence of quality of life (high, medium or low) with study variables and concordance with subjective quality of life.
Results: both groups had similar distribution of total quality of life and there was concordance between the objective and subjective criterion of low quality of life. Neither the gender overload nor the intensity of the climacteric syndrome influenced the quality of life. Postmenopause was identified as the factor for lower values of total quality of life.
Conclusions: menopause does not affect the quality of life. Social and family support favors the quality of life of women in the climacteric stage.