RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The goal of this project was to identify the educational needs of menopausal women and test the feasibility of an online self management program based on social learning theory. METHODS: The four stages included 1) a needs assessment using a) focus groups with 24 women ages 40 to 55 and b) phone interviews with eight health experts; 2) the use of concept mapping methodology for quantifying qualitative data from stage 1 to identify the core programmatic concepts; 3) development of a demonstration program; and 4) a pilot study with 35 women and 9 health experts to assess knowledge gained and program satisfaction. RESULTS: Results show that women desire more information about normalcy of menopause and symptom management and found the program to meet a need for menopausal education otherwise perceived as unavailable. The women significantly increased their menopausal knowledge after brief exposure (t(34) = 3.64; p = .001). CONCLUSION: This project provides support for an online health education program for menopausal women and content ideas for inclusion in women's health education curriculum.
