Abstract

Women's menopause is a natural process that every woman must eventually experience, but changes in hormones before and after menopause can serve to produce life-threatening crises in some situations, with individual differences. Data for the study was elicited from 22,610 Korean women ranging in age from 45 to 55 years in the 2013 Korean Community Health Survey. Statistical analyses was performed using descriptive, t-test, ANOVA, and hierarchical regression analysis using SPSS IBM 20.0 version. Individual characteristics, lifestyle, history of chronic disease(s), psychological and environmental factors were included as independent and EQ5D weights of Koreans were used as dependent variables. The survey subjects consisted of a total 15,505(58.3%) in their 50s, 1,765 (66.5%) in middle and high school dropouts or graduates, 22,174 (83.3%) living in spouses and 10,534(39.6%) in wages. There was a significant difference in HRQOL among all independent variables except drinking and residential areas. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that age, smoking, obesity and other incidental disease factors (fall, angina, asthma, arthritis, osteoporosis, stroke) had a negative effect on HRQOL. The selected independent variables accounted for 22.7% of HRQOL. It is necessary to find a way to improve HRQOL of Korean perimenopausal women, focusing on the significant variables revealed by the study results.