Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Post-Menopausal Women of Rural Area of Vadodara District, Gujarat
Keywords:
post-menopausal women, socio-demographic profile, rural area, menopause, menopausal symptomsAbstract
Background: With the growing aged population in the country, postmenopausal health problems and needs are likely to become a great challenge to public health. This is more so related to the women with poor social background like those residing in rural areas.
Material & Methods: Design: Cross-sectional study, Participants: 147 post-menopausal women residing in Piparia village of Vadodara district were involved in the study, based on sample size calculation and necessary assumptions. Information was filled up in a pre-tested questionnaire. Objective: To study the social and demographic characteristics of the post-menopausal women in rural areas of Vadodara district, Gujarat.
Results: Among a total of 147 respondents, the mean age was 58.32 (48-68) years, while the mean age of inception of menopause was 47.74 (44.84-50.64) years. Labor work (n=37, 25.2%) was the most common occupation. Among all the respondents, 98.5% belonged to social class 4 or below, 18.4% were widow and 40% were below poverty line (BPL). 74.8% were not literate and 42.9% were dependent on their children for daily living.
Conclusion: Rural post-menopausal women in India suffer many social disadvantages which could make them more vulnerable to experience more frequent and more severe of menopausal symptoms. Along with geriatric care, this special group of women also needs a separate focus for health care provision.
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