The Effect of Walking with Pedometer on General Health of Postmenopausal Women

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 M.Sc. Student, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundi Shapour University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

2 Assistant professor, Department of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundi Shapour University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

3 Instructor of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundi Shapour University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Menopause is effective on women’s general health and quality of life. Since so far, no study is performed in Iran about the effect of continued walking on general health in the postmenopausal women, the present study was performed with aim to determine the effect of regular walking with pedometer on general health in the postmenopausal women at medical-health centers of Ahvaz.
Methods: This randomized clinical trial was performed on 106 qualified postmenopausal at women medical-health centers in east and west of Ahvaz in 2014. The subjects were randomly placed in two groups of intervention and control. The intervention group had walking at least three times a week, each time for half an hour, and their steps were recorded with a pedometer. The data were collected using Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and Demographic Questionnaire when GHQ was used in four stages (before intervention, four weeks, eight weeks, and twelve weeks later). Data was analyzed using SPSS software (version 19) and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, t, Mann-Whitney, chi-square, and repeated measures. PResults: Mean general health in the intervention group at the beginning and end of the study were 25±7.7 and 19.4±4.7, respectively (P=0.001), and in the control group, 22.7±7.7 and 24±5, respectively (P=0.85). Mean physical symptoms in the intervention group at the beginning and end of the study were 6.7±2.3 and 5.80±1.6, respectively (P<0.001), and in the control group, 6.4±2.8 and 7.3±2.3, respectively (P=0.86). Mean anxiety and insomnia in the intervention group at the beginning and end of the study were 7.8±3.8 and 4.2±2.8, respectively (P=0.002), and in the control group, 6.8±3.3 and 7.2±2.5, respectively (P=0.8). Mean social function in the intervention group at the beginning and end of the study were 7.7±3.1 and 8.4±1.9, respectively (P=0.5), and in the control group, 7.5±2.5 and 6.7±1.5, respectively (P=0.58). Mean depression in the intervention group at the beginning and end of the study were 2.8±3.3 and 1.6±2, respectively (P=0.02), and in the control group, 1.8±2.2 and 3.1±1.6, respectively (P=0.2).
Conclusion: Regular walking in menopausal women maintains physical and psychological health and promotes their general health. Therefore, according to the results of the study and the access to supportive sources in health system, the necessity of holding the training sessions about physical activity and walking at health centers becomes much more evident.
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