Relationships between menopausal symptoms, depression, and exercise in middle-aged women: A cross-sectional survey

Objectives To determine the relationship between the severity of menopausal symptoms and depression in Korean women, 40–60 years of age, and to compare the severity of menopausal symptoms and depression between subjects who exercise regularly and subjects who do not exercise regularly. Methods Data for this cross-sectional, descriptive study were collected by administering questionnaires eliciting general information, menopausal symptoms, the Beck Depression Index and an exercise history to 648 middle-aged women who participated in a womenʹs health promotion program held in the public health center located in Incheon, Korea. Results There was a significant positive correlation between the severity of menopausal symptoms and depression. The severity of menopausal symptoms and depression in subjects who exercised more than three times a week were significantly lower than in the subjects who did not exercise. Menopausal symptoms differed significantly by education, marital status, economic level, and menopausal status. Economic status was related to education level and marital status. The correlation between body mass index and hot flushes was significant, but the magnitude of the correlation coefficient was small (r = .208, p = .000). Conclusions Women who were depressed had more menopausal symptoms than women who were not depressed, and women who exercised regularly were less depressed and less symptomatic than women who did not exercise.