Evaluation of a workplace educational intervention on menopause: A quasi-experimental study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a workplace educational intervention on menopause on self-efficacy regarding working during the climacteric. METHODS: Quasi-experimental design, with one intervention and one control group. Women aged 40 to 67, working in one of the two participating departments of a large municipality in the Netherlands, were recruited to participate in the study. The allocation of participants to intervention or control group was done at the departmental level. The main component of the multifaceted intervention consisted of educational workshops on menopause and work. The primary outcome was score on the Self-Efficacy to Manage Symptoms Scale. Secondary outcomes were scores on other self-efficacy scales, knowledge about the menopausal transition, menopausal symptoms, beliefs and behaviours and work-related variables. Differences between groups were analysed with Pearson's chi-square, Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to correct for baseline and potential confounders. RESULTS: Data from 54 women were analysed, 25 in the intervention group and 29 in the control group. After 12 weeks of follow-up, the mean score on the Self-Efficacy to Manage Symptoms Scale was higher in the intervention group than in the control group: 6.52 (SD 1.45) versus 5.84 (SD 1.51), respectively, adjusted mean difference 0.75 (95 % CI 0.03-1.46, p = 0.040). The educational intervention increased self-reported knowledge (scored on the range 1-10) (adjusted mean difference 0.7, 95 % CI 0.26-1.15, p = 0.002) and resulted in a lower level of presenteeism (i.e., less impaired work performance) due to menopausal symptoms, measured by the Dutch Stanford Presenteeism Scale (adjusted mean difference 2.15, 95 % CI 0.13-4.18, p = 0.038), compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This educational workplace intervention study shows promising positive effects on self-efficacy regarding working during the climacteric, knowledge about the menopausal transition and presenteeism due to menopausal symptoms. This is especially true for women already experiencing menopausal symptoms, while premenopausal women were harder to engage in the intervention. A larger study, with longer follow-up, preferably a randomized controlled trial, is needed to investigate the clinical relevance of these findings.

Global consensus recommendations on menopause in the workplace: A European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) position statement.

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, there are 657 million women aged 45-59 and around half contribute to the labor force during their menopausal years. There is a diversity of experience of menopause in the workplace. It is shaped not only by menopausal symptoms and context but also by the workplace environment. It affects quality of life, engagement, performance, motivation and relations with employers. AIM: To provide recommendations for employers, managers, healthcare professionals and women to make the workplace environment more menopause supportive, and to improve women's wellbeing and their ability to remain in work. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Literature review and consensus of expert opinion. SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS: Workplace health and wellbeing frameworks and policies should incorporate menopausal health as part of the wider context of gender and age equality and reproductive and post-reproductive health. Workplaces should create an open, inclusive and supportive culture regarding menopause, involving, if available, occupational health professionals and human resource managers working together. Women should not be discriminated against, marginalized or dismissed because of menopausal symptoms. Health and allied health professionals should recognize that, for some women, menopausal symptoms can adversely affect the ability to work, which can lead to reduction of working hours, underemployment or unemployment, and consequently financial insecurity in later life.

Attitude, confidence and social norm of Dutch occupational physicians regarding menopause in a work context.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the attitudes, confidence and social norm of Dutch occupational physicians (OPs) regarding menopause in a work context. STUDY DESIGN: A nationwide cross-sectional exploratory design. An invitation to participate in an online survey was sent to all OPs registered at the Dutch occupational physicians' society (n = 1663). This survey collected data about attitudes, confidence, social norm and current practice of OPs regarding menopause and work. Descriptive statistics and post hoc logistic multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the data. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attitudes, confidence and social norms in relation to menopause and work. RESULTS: Data from 267 OPs were analysed. Most OPs do recognize a role for menopause in presenteeism and sickness absence. However, 48% stated that women with bothersome menopausal symptoms are 'not sick' and 'just experiencing symptoms of a normal physiological process'. Over 56% of OPs find it difficult to assess the relationship between menopausal symptoms and work ability, and 63% to report menopause as a diagnosis in the context of a sick leave certification. Over 56% of OPs acknowledge that talking about menopause in the workplace is a taboo. A positive attitude towards menopause (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02-1.20) and greater confidence (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.14-1.31) were associated with significantly higher levels of diagnosing menopause in sick leave certification. CONCLUSIONS: Dutch OPs generally have a positive attitude towards menopause, but perceive a lack of knowledge and a taboo culture around menopause in a work context. They indicate a need for education and a guideline on menopause and work.

Improvement of menopausal symptoms and the impact on work ability: A retrospective cohort pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: In this study we aimed to pilot test the hypothesis that in women who are severely bothered by their menopausal complaints, improvement of menopausal symptoms is associated with an improvement in self-perceived work ability. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study assessed the work ability of first-time attendees (n = 31) of a menopause clinic at baseline (T0) and 3-9 months follow-up (T1). All patients received care as usual according to local protocol, no interventions were applied by the researchers. Self-reported questionnaire data assessing work ability (Work Ability Index; WAI) and menopausal symptoms (Greene Climacteric Scale; GCS) were used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Multiple linear regression was used in an exploratory analysis to examine the relationship between change in WAI score (ΔWAI) and change in menopausal symptoms (ΔGCS), after adjustment for potential confounders. Additional exploratory univariate linear regression analyses were performed to assess the associations of change in WAI score with change in the different GCS domains and with type of treatment. RESULTS: Twenty-seven out of 31 women reported improvement in work ability at follow-up (T1) (M = 30.73, SD = 6.42 respectively, M = 34.86, SD = 5.98). All women reported to be less bothered by their menopausal symptoms at T1 (M = 26.57, SD = 8.69 respectively, M = 14.73, SD = 6.36). Multivariate linear regression demonstrated a significant association between the WAI and GCS change scores after correction for confounders (beta ΔGCS = 0.283, p = 0.014). After additional adjustment for WAI at baseline, this association was no longer significant (beta ΔGCS = 0.172, p = 0.164). Change in GCS depression domain (ΔGCS depression) was significantly associated with ΔWAI, although after correction for WAI at baseline the effect of ΔGCS depression was no longer significant (beta = 0.855, p = 0.113). The WAI and GCS change scores were highly correlated, as a result their coefficients were not statistically significant separately. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment aimed at alleviating menopausal symptoms in symptomatic women could lead to improvement of menopausal symptoms along with improvement in work ability. Improvement of depressive symptoms seem particularly important for this outcome.

The impact of menopause on work ability in women with severe menopausal symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the impact of menopause on work ability in women with severe menopausal symptoms. STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional study compared the work ability of a sample of otherwise healthy employed Dutch women (n=205) with that of a sample of first-time attendees of a menopause clinic (n=60); both groups were aged 44-60 years. Self-reported questionnaire data assessing work ability (Work Ability Index; WAI) and menopausal symptoms (Greene Climacteric Scale; GCS) were used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Logistic regression analyses were used to examine whether women with severe menopausal symptoms were more likely to have low work ability (defined as a score <37.0 points on the WAI) than were women in the reference group, after adjustment for individual and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: Symptomatic women had significantly higher total GCS scores (mean 26.7 vs 14.2, t=10.8, P<0.001) and significantly lower WAI scores (median 32.0 vs 40.0, U=2380, P<0.001) than the reference group. They were 8.4 times more likely to report low work ability than their healthy counterparts: 76.7% versus 30.2% (OR 8.4, 95% CI 4.1-17.2). CONCLUSIONS: Over three-quarters of symptomatic menopausal women report serious problems in dealing with the physical and mental demands of their work (recorded here as low work ability); hence these women might be at risk of prolonged sickness absence from work.

The impact of menopausal symptoms on work ability.

OBJECTIVE: Menopause is an important life event that may have a negative influence on quality of life. Work ability, a concept widely used in occupational health, can predict both future impairment and duration of sickness absence. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of menopausal symptoms on work ability. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that used a sample of healthy working Dutch women aged 44 to 60 years. Work ability was measured using the Work Ability Index, and menopausal symptoms were measured using the Greene Climacteric Scale. Stepwise multiple linear regression models were used to examine the relationship between menopausal symptoms and work ability. RESULTS: A total of 208 women were included in this study. There was a significant negative correlation between total Greene Climacteric Scale score and Work Ability Index score. Total Greene Climacteric Scale score predicted 33.8% of the total variance in the Work Ability Index score. Only the psychological and somatic subscales of the Greene Climacteric Scale were significant predictors in multiple linear regression analysis. Together, they accounted for 36.5% of total variance in Work Ability Index score. CONCLUSIONS: Menopausal symptoms are negatively associated with work ability and may increase the risk of sickness absence.