Health-related quality of life among menopausal women: A cross-sectional study from Pokhara, Nepal

INTRODUCTION: Menopause is the permanent cessation of menstruation. Quality of life is a broad concept affected by an individual’s physical health, psychological state, level of independence, societal relationship, and environmental features. During the menopausal period, women can experience various symptoms affecting their quality of life. This study assesses the factors associated with health-related quality of life among menopausal women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 249 menopausal women to assess their health-related quality of life, associated factors, and self-reported health problems. A pre-tested structured interview schedule was used to conduct face-to-face interviews to obtain the information per the study’s objective. The Menopausal Rating Scale (MRS) was used to assess the health-related quality of life. Data was entered in Epi-data, and analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were carried out to obtain results per our objectives. RESULTS: The study found that 51.4% of menopausal women had poor quality of life. The mean and standard deviation of the total MRS score was found to be 9.5±5.3. Ultimately, the factors such as educational attainment {Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 5.779, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 2.029–16.459}, medication/treatment of the health problems (AOR = 4.828, 95% CI: 1.662–14.023), alcohol intake status (AOR = 8.006, 95% CI: 2.016–31.785) and physical activity (AOR = 5.746, 95% CI: 1.144–28.872) were significant determinants of quality of life among menopausal women. CONCLUSION: There is a need to pay proper attention to factors affecting the quality of life to improve the status of menopausal women.