[Association between the age at menopause and impairment in daily-living activities of elderly women: an analysis of the National Health Survey].

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the association between age at menopause and impairment in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) in elderly Brazilian women. In a cross-sectional study, 8,973 elderly women from the 2019 National Health Survey self-reported their menopausal age (<45, 45-49, 50-54, and ≥55 years) and difficulty in performing ADL. Binary logistic regression analyzed the association between variables, adjusted for age, income, education, race/ethnicity, physical exercise, use of alcohol, smoking, chronic diseases, and hormone replacement therapy. Analyzes for the total sample and subdivided by age group (60-74; ≥75 years) were conducted by adjusting the sample weights from complex samples, considering p<0.05. Compared to menopause between 50-54 years old, menopause <45 years and ≥55 years is associated with greater odds of difficulty in ADL in the overall sample. Similar results were found when considering only women aged 60-74 years. Among those ≥75 years old, there was no significant association. The results highlight the need to screen for functional changes in women with early and late menopause and refer them to prevention and rehabilitation services to reduce the risk of disability.