Impact of a walking intervention on periomenopausal symptoms

The purpose of this study was to investigate physical activity as an alternative or adjunct intervention to hormone replacement therapy for sedentary, midlife women experiencing symptoms of perimenopause. The sample consisted of four subjects between the ages of 45 and 54 from Ft. Worth and Weatherford, Texas. A researcher-developed symptom checklist, a daily log and a demographic data questionnaire were developed for the study. A field test of a mile and one-half walk run was also utilized to estimate VO$\backslash sb2$max pre- and post-intervention.

Time series analysis was used to model the patterns of perimenopausal symptoms. An eight week individualized walking intervention was examined for its effectiveness in decreasing perimenopausal symptoms and increasing cardiovascular endurance. It was hypothesized that as cardiovascular function improved, perimenopausal symptoms would decrease. Findings indicated that the intervention had a significant impact on the pattern of daily perimenopausal symptoms for participants two and four. All participants showed cardiorespiratory improvement, as indicated by the increase in Vo2max for each participant. The walking intervention had a significant impact on the pattern of daily stress scores for participant four.