Sociodemographic factors and age at natural menopause in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran

With increasing life expectancy, menopause is an increasingly important aspect of women's health. We recorded the age at natural menopause among women in a population-based cross-sectional study in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran, in summer 2000. Interviews with 948 randomly selected menopausal women showed the mean [st and ard deviation] age at menopause was 48.3 [5.3] years [95% CI: 48.0-48.6], median 49 years. The sociodemographic and health behaviour factors that were significantly related to early mean age of menopause were: never married [44.7 years], low income level [47.4 years], low social class [45.8 years], tobacco use [47.9 years] and non-consanguineous husb and [48.1 years]

Validity and reliability of the Persian translation of the SF-36 version 2 questionnaire

To assess the validity and reliability of a Persian translation of the SF-36 questionnaire [version 2] as a tool for use in the general population and outpatients, we carried out a cross-sectional study of the staff of Shiraz Medical School during November 2001. Response rate was 83.6%. Internal consistency for 8 scales using Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 [minimum recommended 0.85]. Construct validity was acceptable as correlation between scales and some sociodemographic characteristics was significant. The correlation coefficient between 8 scales and related principal components was also acceptable. This translation is an appropriate tool for assessing health perceptions of the population

Deteminants of age at natural menopause in Shiraz

The mean age at natural menopause and its determinants among Shirazi women [southern Iran] was calculated. The data were obtained from a population- based cross-sectional study carried out in the year 2000. Interviews were carried out and observations made on 948 women who had incurred natural menopause. They were randomly chosen using postal zones housing sample framework of Shiraz. Mean +/- SD age at menopause in the studied group was 48.3 +/- 5.3 [95% CI: 48.0-48.6] years with a median of 49.0 years. Arm circumference, height, weight, BMI, place of birth, handedness, ancestry, family background, level of education, level of daily physical activities, smoking habit, history of abortion, age at first marriage, age at first full-term pregnancy, menstrual cycle interval/duration, age at menarche, dysmenorrhea, mid-cycle spotting, were rewrded. It was found that the number of pregnancies were not significantly related to age at menopause. Age at natural menopause significantly correlated with menstrual cessation pattern, age at last full-term pregnancy, consanguinity of marriage, place of birth, and use of hormones before menopause

Age at menarchie and its corrlates in Shiraz, Southern Iran

Age at menarche and its associated factors are reported for 1862 Shiraz [Southern Iran] secondary school girls taking part in a cross-sectional survey selected from four educational districts of the city. Probit analysis was used to estimate age at menarche, principal component analysis [PCA] was applied to analyze socio-economic status [SES]. Body mass index [BMI] was used as an indicator of nutrition. Mean +/- SD age at menarche 12.91 +/- 1.23 years [95% CI: 12.84-12.97]. Of all subjects, 33.7% first menstruated in summer. Highest mean age at menarche, was 13.01 years in winter. Stress, anxiety and discomfort was seen among 70.3% of subjects at menarche indicating total or partial ignorance of the menstruation phenomenon. Age at menarche decreased as SES improved. Menarcheal age was delayed for underweight subjects. It is concluded that BMI and SES had the most significant effects on variation of the menarcheal age in a unified statistical model. However, their interaction was found to be not statistically significant