Characteristics of reproductive history, use of exogenous hormones and walking speed among women: Data from the CONSTANCES French Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cross-sectional associations of reproductive history and use of exogenous hormones with fast walking speed (WS) in women. STUDY DESIGN: Between 2012 and 2020, 33,892 French women aged 45 years or more, recruited at health centers, underwent physical function tests and self-reported information on reproductive history and use of exogenous hormones. Linear mixed models with the center as random intercept were used to estimate the association of exposures with WS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fast WS. RESULTS: Mean WS was 172.2 cm/s. WS increased with age at menarche (ß+1y = 0.23, 95 % confidence interval = 0.05 to 0.40), age at first birth (ß+1y = 0.20, 95 % CI = 0.13 to 0.27) and duration of breastfeeding (ßfor ≥10 vs ≤5months = 1.38; 95 % CI = 0.39 to 2.36). In addition, parity was quadratically associated with WS, with women with 3 children having the highest WS (p for U-shaped relationship < 0.01). Menopausal status had no impact on WS but age at menopause was positively associated with WS (ß+5y = 0.52, 95 % CI = 0.17 to 0.87) and partly explained the deleterious impact of artificial menopause on WS. WS increased with reproductive lifetime duration (ß+5y = 0.49, 95 % CI = 0.16 to 0.83) and decreased with time since onset of menopause (ß+5y = -0.65, 95 % CI = -0.99 to -0.31). By contrast, there was no association of WS with oral contraception and postmenopausal hormone therapy. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that reproductive life characteristics may be associated with WS and timing of exposure could play a role.

Patterns of gynaecological check-up and their association with body mass index within the CONSTANCES cohort.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between patterns of gynaecological check-up and body mass index while accounting for various determinants of health care use. METHODS: Sequence analysis and clustering were used to highlight patterns of gynaecological check-up, which included the regularity of breast and cervical cancer screening and visits to the gynaecologist over four years, among 6182 women aged 54-65 included in the CONSTANCES cohort between 2013 and 2015 in France. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to study the association between these patterns and women's body mass index. RESULTS: We identified four patterns of gynaecological check-up, from (A) no or inappropriate check-up (20%) to (D) almost one visit to the gynaecologist every year, overscreening for cervical cancer and frequent use of opportunistic breast cancer screening (12%). From patterns A to D, the proportion of obese women decreased and that of women with normal body mass index increased. Obese and overweight women underwent more breast than cervical cancer screening and were less often overscreened than normal weight women. These differences were only partly explained by the lower socioeconomic situation of overweight and obese women. Beyond the financial barrier, the screening modality and the type of exam may play a role. Among women who were screened for cervical cancer, obese and overweight women were less often screened by a gynaecologist. CONCLUSION: Further efforts should be made to enhance the take-up of screening among obese women who are deterred by the healthcare system.

Combined Effect of Health Status and Primary Care Use on Participation in Cancer Screening: The CONSTANCES Cohort.

Background: The combined association between primary care utilization and health status with breast cancer screening (BCS) and cervical cancer screening (CCS) remains unclear. Our aim was to identify women's profiles based on their health status and primary care utilization and study their associated adherence to BCS and CCS recommendations. Methods: Using data from the cohort of people visiting health screening centers (CONSTANCES) in France (2012-2015), we first identified women's profiles based on their health status (self-perceived health, physical, and mental health) and primary care utilization (visit to the General Practitioner [GP], uptake of blood tests) using a multiple correspondence analysis and a hierarchical cluster analysis. We then investigated the association of these profiles to BCS and CCS using logistic regression models adjusted for age, smoking status, sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and the regularity of gynecologist consultation. Results: We identified five distinct profiles of women with contrasted participation in BCS (n = 14,122) and CCS (n = 27,120). In multivariate analyses, cancer screening participation increased from women with very good health and poor primary care utilization, to those with poor health and frequent visits to the GP, and those with very good health and average primary care utilization. The most favorable profiles regarding cancer screening rates were women with average-to-poor health and regular visits to the GP and uptake of blood tests. Conclusions: Our results suggest that policies aiming at increasing cancer screening participation should simultaneously account for women's use of primary care and health and consider more specific subgroups than what is usually done. Further research should investigate factors motivating cancer screening practice, such as women's beliefs regarding cancer screening and women's psychological characteristics.

The determinants of cervical cancer screening uptake in women with obesity: application of the Andersen's behavioral model to the CONSTANCES survey.

PURPOSE: Despite their higher risk for and mortality from cervical cancer, evidence indicates low rates of cervical cancer screening (CCS) among women with obesity. The literature on the specific factors related to CCS nonadherence in this population is limited. METHODS: We examined the data on 2,934 women with obesity included in the CONSTANCES survey from 2012 to 2015. Using the Andersen's behavioral model, we studied the relationships between the socioeconomic, sociodemographic, health, health personal behaviors, and healthcare use-related factors with CCS nonadherence. The analysis was performed using structural equation models. RESULTS: Regular follow-up by a gynecologist, good quality of primary care follow-up, and comorbidities were negatively associated with CCS nonadherence. Limited literacy, older age, being single, living without children, and financial strain were positively associated with CCS nonadherence. Our results do not point to competitive care, since women with comorbidities had better CCS behaviors, which were explained by a good quality of primary care follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our study identified the factors that explain CCS nonadherence among women with obesity and clarified the effects of health status and healthcare use on screening. Further efforts should be undertaken to reduce the obstacles to CCS by improving care among women with obesity.