RESEARCH PAPER
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN MENOPAUSE AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS: A PILOT STUDY
 
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1
Department of Nursing, Jan Dlugosz University in Częstochowa, Poland
 
2
Institute of Physical Culture Sciences, Jan Dlugosz University in Częstochowa, Poland
 
3
Institute of Technology, State University of Applied Sciences in Racibórz, Poland
 
 
Submission date: 2025-08-12
 
 
Final revision date: 2025-10-13
 
 
Acceptance date: 2025-10-27
 
 
Publication date: 2025-10-31
 
 
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
The aim of this study was to assess the level of physical activity of women in the menopausal period in relation to selected sociodemographic variables, such as place of residence, marital status and age.

Material and methods:
The study included 75 women (mean age: 53.11±5.38 years) in the pre- and postmenopausal period. A short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) was used to assess the level of activity (MET-min/week) and sedentary time. Group differences were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and multiple regression examined the influence of sociodemographic factors.

Results:
Median total physical activity ranged from 611 to 1,934 MET-min/week across marital status categories, from 132 to 1,474 across residential settings and was highest among women born between 1991-2000 (1,546 MET-min/week). Although these differences were not statistically significant (p>0.05), a trend toward higher activity among younger and rural women was observed. Regression analysis confirmed that age, marital status and place of residence were not significant predictors of total physical activity, explaining about 20% of the variance (R²=0.201, Adj. R²=0.064).

Conclusions:
Physical activity among menopausal women was generally low to moderate and not significantly related to basic sociodemographic factors. Nevertheless, the results suggest higher activity in younger and rural participants. Given the small sample size and pilot nature of the study, the findings should be interpreted with caution.
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