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ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
From the Departments of Psychology (B.S.) and Epidemiology/Preventive Medicine (N.O.R.), University of California, Davis, Davis, CA; New England Research Institutes (N.A., Boston, MA); Department of Preventive Medicine (P.M., T.M.), Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Behavioral and Social Research Program (M.O.), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD; School of Public Health and Department of Asian American Studies (M.K.-S.), University of California, Los Angeles, CA; Department of Family Practice (C.M.), University of Texas Health Center, San Antonio, TX; and Department of Medical Anthropology (S.A.), University of California, San Francisco, CA.
Address reprint requests to: Barbara Sommer, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8686. Email: basommer{at}ucdavis.edu
OBJECTIVE: Attitudes have a potential role to play in the experience of menopause. The objective of this study was to examine the degree to which attitudes toward menopause and aging vary across ethnic groups and menopausal status (ie, premenopausal through postmenopausal).
METHODS: More than 16,000 women were interviewed by telephone as part of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation. They represented five ethnic/racial groups (African American, white, Chinese American, Japanese American, and Hispanic) from seven geographical sites (Boston, MA; Pittsburgh, PA; Chicago, IL; Michigan; New Jersey; and northern and southern California).
RESULTS: African American women were significantly more positive in attitude. The least positive groups were the less acculturated Chinese American and Japanese American women. Menopausal status was not a consistent predictor of attitude across ethnic groups.
CONCLUSIONS: In general, women’s attitudes toward menopause range from neutral to positive. Ethnic groups within the United States vary slightly, but reliably, in their attitudes toward menopause and aging. Factors other than those directly associated with menopausal status seem to play a role in attitude.
Key Words: aging • attitudes • ethnicity • menopause • women
Abbreviations: HRT = hormone replacement therapy; HSD = Tukey’shonestly significant difference; SWAN = Study of Women’s HealthAcross the Nation.
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