Association of Menopausal Symptoms with Overweight and Obesity among Rural Middle Aged Women in North India: A Population Based Study

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are important determinant of increasing morbidity among all age groups, including menopausal women. The symptoms of menopause have a negative impact on the quality of life. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in menopausal women and also to find its association with menopausal symptoms and sociodemographic variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted among middle-aged women (40–60 years) from April 2018 to March 2019. The Menopausal Rating Scale was used to assess the severity of menopausal symptoms in 400 women, and data were collected for sociodemographic factors, menstrual history in the past month, and personal history. RESULTS: About 35.5% of menopausal women were overweight/obese (26% overweight and 9.5% obese) with average body mass index of 23.9 ± 4.84 and mean age of 53.65 ± 5.11 years Joint and muscular discomfort (P = 0.001), hypertension (P = 0.014), literacy level (P = 0.009), and socioeconomic status (P = 0.01) were significantly associated with overweight/obesity. With reference to women with no/little somatic and urogenital complaints, the odds of developing obesity was more (adjusted odds) in patients with mild (odds ratio [OR] - 2.8), moderate (OR - 2.1), and severe (2.19) somatic complaints and also higher risk in patients with mild (OR-3.2), moderate (OR - 1.1), and severe (OR - 1.74) urogenital symptoms. The age of menopause was significantly more among overweight than normal-weight women (P = 0.033). CONCLUSION: Overweight and obesity associated with menopause require increased attention and a multidisciplinary approach to women's health to prevent morbidity in this population group.