Relationships between self-management strategies and physical activity and diet quality in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationships of self-management strategies and physical activity (PA) and diet quality in women with PCOS. METHODS: An online cross-sectional study involving women (n = 501), 18-45 years in the general Australian community with a self-reported PCOS diagnosis. The self-management and lifestyle behaviour questionnaires were completed between August 2017 and March 2018. RESULTS: Implementation of PA related self-management strategies increased the odds of meeting PA recommendations [Odds ratio (OR): 2.929 (95%CI: 2.172, 3.951), p < 0.001] but had no association with body mass index (BMI) [OR: 0.-0.984 (95%CI: -1.010, 0.959), p = 0.217] nor perception of self weight [OR: 1.382 (95% CI: 0.700, 2.725), p = 0.352]. Nutrition related self-management strategies were inversely associated with BMI [OR: - 0.115 (95%CI: -7.159, -0.980), p = 0.010] but had no association with diet quality [OR: 0.183 (95%CI: -2.328, 2.800), p = 0.855], energy intake [OR: - 0.092 (95%CI: -1204.443, 527.496) p = 0.438] or weight [OR: - 0.034 (95%CI: -4.020, 1.930), p = 0.491]. CONCLUSIONS: PA self-management strategies were associated with meeting PA recommendations. Nutrition strategies were associated with lower BMI but not diet quality, energy intake or weight in women with PCOS. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Other behaviour change determinants (e.g. education, skills and self-efficacy) should be considered when designing a PCOS lifestyle programme in conjunction with self-management strategies.

Disordered Eating Behaviours and Eating Disorders in Women in Australia with and without Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Psychological co-morbidities common in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may contribute to disordered eating and subsequent weight gain. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence of disordered eating and a range of eating disorders and demographic risk factors associated with these behaviours within an Australian group of women with and without PCOS. Data from 899 women with (n = 501) and without (n = 398) PCOS were analysed as possibly indicative of disordered eating or eating disorders using the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria. Disordered eating (p = 0.012) but not eating disorders (p = 0.076) were more prevalent in women with PCOS compared to controls. Increased body mass index (BMI) [Odds Ratio (OR): 1.03; 95%; Confidence Interval (CI): 1.01, 1.05, p = 0.012] and older age [OR: 1.05; 95%CI: 1.02, 1.08, p = 0.002] but not PCOS diagnosis [OR: 1.43; 95%CI: 0.96, 2.13 p = 0.078] increased the odds of disordered eating. Increased BMI [OR: 1.04; 95%CI: 1.02, 1.06, p < 0.001] and younger age [OR: -0.95; 95%CI: 0.93-0.95, p < 0.001] but not PCOS diagnosis [OR: 1.38; 95%CI: 0.97, 1.95, p = 0.076] increased the odds of an eating disorder. Clinicians are recommended to screen all women with PCOS for possible disordered eating behaviours, with particular attention to women with elevated BMI.