Validity and Reliability of a Single Question for Leisure-Time Physical Activity Assessment in Middle-Aged Women.

2020

Purpose: To investigate the validity and test–retest reliability of a single seven-level scale physical activity assessment question (SR-PA L7) and its three-level categorization (SR-PA C3). Methods: The associations of SR-PA L7 and C3 with accelerometer-measured leisure-time physical activity (ACC-LTPA) and with the results of four different physical performance tests (6-min walk [n = 733], knee extension [n = 695], vertical jump [n = 731], and grip force [n = 780]) were investigated among women aged 47–55 years participating in the Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis study (n = 795). The reliability was studied using Spearman correlations with 4-month test–retest period (n = 152). R…

Predicting the age at natural menopause in middle-aged women

2021

Objective To predict the age at natural menopause (ANM). Methods Cox models with time-dependent covariates were utilized for ANM prediction using longitudinal data from 47 to 55-year-old women (n = 279) participating in the Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis study. The ANM was assessed retrospectively for 105 women using bleeding diaries. The predictors were chosen from the set of 32 covariates by using the lasso regression (model 1). Another easy-to-access model (model 2) was created by using a subset of 16 self-reported covariates. The predictive performance was quantified with c-indices and by studying the means and standard deviations of absolute errors (MAE ± SD) between the pre…

Personality, motivational, and social cognition predictors of leisure-time physical activity

2022

Objective The purpose of the present study was to investigate associations between personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism, autonomous motivation, and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs and leisure-time physical activity. The study examined whether autonomous motivation and the TPB constructs mediate the association between personality traits and physical activity, and whether personality traits moderate the relationship of autonomous motivation and the TPB constructs with physical activity. Methods Middle-aged women (N = 441) completed self-report measures of personality traits, autonomous motivation, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC) a…

Associations of resting and peak fat oxidation with sex hormone profile and blood glucose control in middle-aged women.

2022

Background and Aims Menopause may reduce fat oxidation. We investigated whether sex hormone profile explains resting fat oxidation (RFO) or peak fat oxidation (PFO) during incremental cycling in middle-aged women. Secondarily, we studied associations of RFO and PFO with glucose regulation. Method and Results We measured RFO and PFO of 42 women (age 52–58 years) with indirect calorimetry. Seven participants were pre- or perimenopausal, 26 were postmenopausal, and nine were postmenopausal hormone therapy users. Serum estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone, progesterone, and testosterone levels were quantified with immunoassays. Insulin sensitivity (Matsuda index) and glucose tolerance (…

Early adulthood and current physical activity and their association with symptoms of pelvic floor disorders in middle-aged women : an observational s…

2023

Objective To investigate associations of early and middle adulthood physical activity (PA) with symptoms of pelvic floor disorders (PFD), i.e., stress urinary incontinence (SUI), urge urinary incontinence (UUI), fecal incontinence (FI), constipation or defecation difficulties (CDD), and feeling of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) among middle-aged women. Design A cross-sectional, observational study with retrospective PA assessment. Setting University Research Laboratory. Sample A random population sample of 1098 47-to-55-year-old Finnish women. Methods Early adulthood PA, current PA, and demographical and gynaecological variables were assessed using self-report questionnaires. Logistic regressi…

Menopausal symptoms and cardiometabolic risk factors in middle-aged women : A cross-sectional and longitudinal study with 4-year follow-up

2023

Objective To study associations of menopausal symptoms with cardiometabolic risk factors. Study design A cross-sectional and longitudinal study of a representative population sample of 1393 women aged 47–55 years with a sub-sample of 298 followed for four years. The numbers of vasomotor, psychological, somatic or pain, and urogenital menopausal symptoms were ascertained at baseline through self-report. Their associations with cardiometabolic risk factors were studied using linear regression and linear mixed-effect models. Models were adjusted for age, menopausal status, body mass index, the use of hormonal preparations, education, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Main outcome measures Card…

Metabolic health, menopause, and physical activity : a 4-year follow-up study

2022

Background In women, metabolic health deteriorates after menopause, and the role of physical activity (PA) in mitigating the change is not completely understood. This study investigates the changes in indicators of metabolic health around menopause and evaluates whether PA modulates these changes. Methods Longitudinal data of 298 women aged 48–55 years at baseline participating in the ERMA and EsmiRs studies was used. Mean follow-up time was 3.8 (SD 0.1) years. Studied indicators of metabolic health were total and android fat mass, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, blood glucose, triglycerides, serum total cholesterol, and high…

Accelerometer-measured and self-reported physical activity in relation to extraversion and neuroticism: a cross-sectional analysis of two studies

2020

Background Personality reflects relatively stable and pervasive tendencies in feeling, thinking and behaving. While previous studies have found higher extraversion and lower neuroticism to be linked to higher self-reported physical activity levels, larger studies using accelerometer-measured physical activity are lacking. This study investigated the cross-sectional associations of extraversion and neuroticism with both accelerometer-measured and self-reported physical activity and the role of these personality traits in possible discrepancies between these two measures of physical activity among Finnish adults. Methods Two community-dwelling samples were used in this study: a) 47–55-yr-old …

Menopausal Status and Physical Activity Are Independently Associated With Cardiovascular Risk Factors of Healthy Middle-Aged Women: Cross-Sectional a…

2019

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of mortality in women in developed countries. CVD risk rises with age, yet for women there is a rapid increase in CVD risk that occurs after the onset of menopause. This observation suggests the presence of factors in the middle-aged women that accelerate the progression of CVD independent of chronological aging. Leisure time physical activity (LTPA) is a well-established protective factor against CVD. However, its role in attenuating atherogenic lipid profile changes and CVD risk in post-menopausal women has not been well-established. The present study is part of the Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis (ERMA) study, a population-based…

Muutosten aikoja : juhlakirja Tapani Turkalle

2011

Total and regional body adiposity increases during menopause : evidence from a follow‐up study

2022

For women, menopausal transition is a time of significant hormonal changes, which may contribute to altered body composition and regional adipose tissue accumulation. Excess adiposity, and especially adipose tissue accumulation in the central body region, increases women's risk of cardiovascular and metabolic conditions and affects physical functioning. We investigated the associations between menopausal progression and total and regional body adiposity measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography in two longitudinal cohort studies of women aged 47–55 (n = 230 and 148, mean follow-up times 1.3 ± 0.7 and 3.9 ± 0.2 years, mean baseline BMI 25.5 kg/m2). We also examin…