This study aimed to develop and test a structural model for chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment of breast cancer patients based on a literature review and Hess and Insel's chemotherapy-related cognitive change model.

The Participants consisted of 250 patients who were ≥19 years of age. The assessment tools included the Menopause Rating Scale, Symptom Experience Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Everyday Cognition, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0 programs.

The modified model was a good fit for the data. The model fit indices were χ ²=423.18 (p<.001), χ ²/df=3.38, CFI=.91, NFI=.91, TLI=.89, SRMR=.05, RMSEA=.09, and AIC=515.18. Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment was directly influenced by menopausal symptoms (β=.38, p=.002), depression and anxiety (β=.25, p=.002), and symptom experiences (β=.19, p=.012). These predictors explained 47.7% of the variance in chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment. Depression and anxiety mediated the relations among menopausal symptoms, symptom experiences, and with chemotherapy related cognitive impairment. Depression and anxiety (β=-.51, p=.001), symptom experiences (β=-.27, p=.001), menopausal symptoms (β=-.22, p=.008), and chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (β=-.15, p=.024) had direct effects on the quality of life and these variables explained 91.3%.

These results suggest that chemotherapy-related toxicity is highly associated with cognitive decline and quality of life in women with breast cancer. Depression and anxiety increased vulnerability to cognitive impairment after chemotherapy. Nursing intervention is needed to relieve chemotherapy-related toxicity and psychological factor as well as cognitive decline for quality of life in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

This study was to examine the correlations among management of menopause, marital satisfaction, and quality of life in middle-aged women.

The sample was 158 middle-aged women who were 40-64 years. Data were collected from June 14 to July 10, 2003 using questionnaires and were analyzed by using the SPSS 10.0 PC+ program.

The level of marital satisfaction was related positively to the level of quality of life(r=.504, p<.01) and management of menopause(r=.315, p<.01). In addition, there were significant correlations between the level of quality of life and management of menopause(r=.251, <.01). In stepwise multiple regression analysis, 25.9% of the variance in quality of life was explained by marital satisfaction.

Marital satisfaction and management of menopause serve to improve the quality of life of middle-aged women. It is necessary to develop an effective intervention program to improve marital satisfaction and management of menopause.

The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of aromatherapy massage on abdominal fat and body image in post-menopausal women.

A Non-equivalent control group pre-post test Quasi-experimental design of random assignment was applied. All subjects received one hour of whole body massage as treatment by the same researcher every week for 6 weeks. Participants also massaged their own abdomen two times everyday for 5 days each week for 6 weeks. The two groups used different kinds of oil. The experimental group used 3% grapefruit oil, cypress and three other kinds of oil. The control group used grapeseed oil. Data was collected before and after the treatment using Siemens Somatom Sensation 4, a tape measure and MBSRQ. Data was analyzed by ANCOVA using the SPSS/PC+Win 12 Version.

Abdominal subcutaneous fat and waist circumference in the experimental group significantly decreased after aromathetapy massage compared to the control group. Body image in the experimental group was significantly better after aromathetapy massage than in the control group.

These results suggest that Aromatheapy massage could be utilized as an effective intervention to reduce abdominal subcutaneous fat, waist circumference, and to improve body image in post-menopausal women.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a moderate-intensity, walking exercise program on the body composition, blood lipids and psychosocial outcomes in postmenopausal obese women.

With a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design, a total of 36 postmenopausal obese women was recruited in 2 metropolitan areas by convenience sampling. Sixteen women participated in 1 hour of moderate-intensity walking exercise 5 days per week for 3 months and 20 women did not. Cardiovascular risk factors include body composition and blood lipids. Body composition was measured as body mass index, % body fat, and waist/hip ratio; Blood lipids were measured with total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL; psychosocial outcomes were evaluated by self-esteem and depression.

Over 3 months, the score of self-esteem increased and depression decreased in the exercise group relative to the control group. However, there were no significant differences in body composition and blood lipids.

This study suggests that 3 months of moderate-intensity exercise training can improve psychosocial outcomes but further studies are needed to replicate walking exercise on physiologic variables among postmenopausal obese women. These findings are of public health relevance and add a new facet to the growing literature on the health benefits of moderate exercise.

Korean women are likely to experience symptoms of depression, possibly due to socially fixed limitations on the roles that Korean women are expected to perform. Also if a Korean woman experinces negative relationship problem or stress in her family, she would feel responsible, which will worsen her depression. Nonetheless, much of the research on depression among Korean women has focused on menopausal women. This study aims to understand the depression of Korean women to provide fundamental data to develop nursing intervention method for promoting women's health.

The present investigation assessed the prevalence and correlates of depression in a large sample of Korean women, aged 18 or older, from the general population. With a probability sample of 3312 women drawn from two areas in Korea, a survey, which contains the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and background, was completed.

According to CES-D classification criteria, 36.5% of the women in the sample displayed either no depression or mild depression, 55.6% exhibited moderate depression, and 7.8% manifested severe depression. Significant bivariate relationships were observed between depression and each measured background variable except alcohol use. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the strongest combination of predictors of depression included income, menopausal, and marital status.

The data support the premise that Korean women disproportionately experience elevated levels of depression. Consistent with the theory, depression may be related to social pressures to conform to the traditional roles. The study suggests the need for further research, primary prevention activities, and increased access to treatment.

A dance exercise program was performed to investigate the effects of exercise on exercise intention and exercise-related affect as these are important determinants of exercise behavior.

The subjects were overweight (23≤or=BMI≤or=25) or obese (BMI≥or=25) postmenopausal women (n=14), who participated in an exercise program from May, 2003 through November, 2003 at one public health center located in Kyong-gi Province. Data was analyzed with an SAS PC program.

Exercise intention was significantly increased after the exercise program (t=-2.24, P=0.04). Exercise-related affect was also increased, but there was no statistically significant change (t=1.81, P=0.09).

This study suggests that exercise participation can increase the level of future exercise behavior by increasing exercise intention and exercise-related affect.

This study was designed to explore the association of diet with menopausal symptoms in Korean women.

For this cross-sectional survey, 276 women aged between 45-55 years visiting two branches of K-university hospital located in Seoul and Ansan of Kyunggi province were recruited from April to July, 2002. A menopause-specific quality-of-life questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire were used to measure menopause-related symptoms and the intake of 28 types of foods.

No differences were found in the levels of bothersome total menopausal symptoms, physical symptoms, psychosocial symptoms, and sexual symptoms according to the intake of each food. Only higher intake of fishes, seaweeds, and vegetable oils were inversely associated with bothersome levels of vasomotor symptoms. Women with higher intake of yellow-green vegetables and lower intake of coffee, confectionery, and processed foods reported lower hot flush rate.

The results suggest that higher intake of yellow-green vegetables and lower intake of coffee, confectionery and processed foods may relieve hot flushes. Further study needs to be pursued to study the relationship with nutrients of these foods and hot flushes.

This study was a systematic review to evaluate the effects of aromatherapy on menopausal symptoms, perceived stress and depression in middle aged-women.

Eight databases were searched from their inception September 8, 2015. Two reviewers independently performed the selection of the studies, data abstraction and validations. The risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane criteria. For analysis of the data, a meta-analysis of the studies was performed.

From the electronic databases, 73 articles were selected, and 19 removed due to duplication. After two reviewers read the abstracts of 54 studies, 34 studies were selected. Complete papers for 34 original articles were read and, 12 studies which met selection criteria were reviewed and the effects of aromatherapy on menopausal symptoms, stress and depression analyzed using meta-analysis with RevMan. In the 2 studies which included Randomized Controlled Trials testing of aromatherapy on menopausal symptoms and comparison of control and placebo groups were done. Aromatherapy massage was favorably effective in reducing the menopausal symptoms compared to the control group (n=118, MD=-6.33; 95% CI -11.51 to -1.15), and compared to the placebo group (n=117, MD=-4.14; 95% CI -7.63 to -0.64). Also aromatherapy was effective in reducing stress (n=72, SMD=-0.64; 95% CI -1.12 to -0.17) and depression (n=158, MD=-5.63; 95% CI -10.04 to -1.22).

There is limited evidence suggesting that aromatherapy for middle-aged women may be effective in controlling menopausal symptoms, perceived stress and depression.

This study was designed to construct and test structural equation modeling on healthy menopausal transition in middle-aged women in order to identify variables affecting healthy menopausal transition.

Participants, 276 women, 45 to 60 years of age, with menopausal symptom score higher than 5 on the Korean version of Menopause Rating Scale, were recruited in three cities and one county of Gyeongnam Province. Research data were collected via questionnaires and analysed using SPSS version 18.0 and AMOS version 20.0.

After confirmatory factor analysis, one of the observed variables was excluded due to relatively low factor loading. The model fit indices for the hypothetical model were suitable for the recommended level: GFI=.93, CFI=.92, RMSEA=.05. Self-efficacy, self-differentiation, and menopausal symptoms explained 67.7% of variance in menopausal transition, and self-differentiation was the most influential factor for menopausal transition. Self efficacy and menopausal symptoms explained 9.6% of variance in menopausal management, although "menopausal symptoms" was not significant.

These results suggest that nursing interventions to improve self-differentiation, self efficacy, menopausal management and decrease menopausal symptoms are critical for healthy menopausal transition in middle-aged women. Continued development of a variety of community-based nursing interventions to facilitate healthy menopausal transition is suggested.

This study was done to propose and test a predictive model that would explain and predict fall prevention behaviors in postmenopausal women. The health belief model was the theoretical basis to aid development of a nursing intervention fall prevention program.

Data for 421 postmenopausal women were selected from an original data set using a survey design. The structural equation model was tested for 3 constructs: modifying factors, expectation factors, and threat factors. Expectation factors were measured as relative perceived benefit (perceived benefit minus perceived barrier), self-efficacy, and health motivation; threat factors, as perceived susceptibility (fear of falling) and perceived severity (avoiding activity for fear of falling); and modifying factors: level of education and knowledge about fall prevention. Data were analyzed using SPSS Windows and AMOS program.

Mean age was 55.7 years (range 45-64), and 19.7% had experienced a fall within the past year. Fall prevention behaviors were explained by expectation and threat factors indicating significant direct effects. Mediating effect of health beliefs was significant in the relationship between modifying factors and fall prevention behaviors. The proposed model explained 33% of the variance.

Results indicate that fall prevention education should include knowledge, expectation, and threat factors based on health belief model.

The purpose of the study was to identify degrees of pain, menopause symptoms, and quality of life, and to identify factors influencing quality of life of patients with breast cancer who were on hormone therapy.

A cross-sectional survey design was utilized. Data were collected using questionnaires from 110 patients with breast cancer who had been on hormone therapy for 3 months or more and were being treated at a university hospital in Seoul. Data were analyzed using χ²-test, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression.

Mean age of the participants was 53.56 (SD=6.67) and 54 (51.4%) had stage 0 or I at the time of diagnosis. Most of the participants reported having pain and menopause symptoms (88.2% and 95.5% respectively). The mean score for quality of life was 87.84±21.17. Pain, menopause symptoms and quality of life had strong correlations with each other (p<.005). Quality of life was explained by menopause symptoms (β= -.71), economic status (β=.20) and occupation (β=.16).

The results of the study suggest that menopause symptoms should be incorporated into oncologic nursing care to improve quality of life of patients with breast cancer on hormone therapy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an educational intervention that used both cellular phones and the Internet to provide a short messaging service (SMS) relating to blood glucose, blood pressure, and serum lipid levels in postmenopausal women with impaired fasting glucose (IFG).

Twenty-eight postmenopausal women were assigned to an intervention group and twenty-one postmenopausal women to a control group. The intervention was provided for 12 weeks. Patients in the intervention group were asked to access a web site by using a cellular phone or to use the Internet directly and input their blood glucose and blood pressure levels weekly. Participants were sent the optimal recommendations weekly by both cellular phone and Internet.

The intervention group had a mean decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP) level of 8.1 mmHg but changes for the control group were not significant. There was a significant mean change in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) level for the intervention group (-7.7 mmHg). The mean change in the control group was not significant.

This educational intervention using the Internet and a SMS by cellular phone improved levels of SBP and DBP in postmenopausal women with IFG.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influences of health perception, body image and sexual function on depression according to the menopausal stage in Korean middle aged women.

Subjects were 182 perimenopausal and postmenopausal women who had not received hormonal replacement therapy. A five-item General HealthShort Form (SF-36) Health Survey Questionnaire (Ware & Sherbourne, 1992) was used to measure health perception. Body image was measured Semantic Differential scale, CES-D was used to measure the level of depression, and sexual function was measured by FSFI.

The subjects rated their health as ‘moderate’, their body image as ‘moderate, and level of depression as ‘high’. However, there were no significant differences in health perception, body image, and depression between perimenopasual and postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women experienced lower levels of sexual function than perimenopausal women in sexual arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. In stepwise regression analysis, 21.7% of variance in depression was shown to be perceived health and body image in postmenopausal women. However, in perimenopausal women, perceived health and sexual function explained 34.5% of variance in depression.

These findings indicate that nurses must consider the menopasusal stage when counseling their patients.