Knowledge about menopause and its associated factors among women aged 30 and above in Merawi administrative town, Northwest, Ethiopia, 2022

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to determine knowledge about menopause and its associated factors among women aged 30 and above in Merawi administrative town, Northwest, Ethiopia.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 537 women aged 30 and above from June 1 to July 10, 2022. Participants were selected using a systematic random sampling technique and data were collected through a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. The data were entered into EPI-data version 4.6 and analyzed by the Statistical Package for Social Science version 25. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to check the association between dependent and independent variables. The strength of association and the level of significance were determined by P-value <0.05 with 95% CI and adjusted odds ratio (AOR).

Results: The overall knowledge of women about menopause was 28.9% (95% CI, 25.1-32.9). Secondary school education AOR 2.99 (95% CI, 1.43-6.28), tertiary level education AOR 3.63 (95% CI, 1.63-8.08), employed women AOR 2.64 (95% CI, 1.21-5.76), history of contraceptive use AOR 2.07 (95% CI, 1.24-7.58), perimenopausal women AOR 2.24 (95% CI, 1.26-4.00), postmenopausal women AOR 3.02 (95% CI, 1.49-6.14), access to information about menopause AOR 3.67 (95% CI, 2.13-6.33) were independent factors significantly associated with knowledge about menopause.

Conclusions: Nearly one-third of women were knowledgeable about menopause. Educational status, history of contraceptive use, menopausal status, occupation, and having information about menopause were factors significantly associated with it. Therefore, an effort to empower and support women in education, and disseminating menopause information is recommended.

Keywords: Ethiopia; Knowledge; Menopausal symptoms; Menopause; Women..