Positive impact of a co-designed digital resource for women with early menopause

Objective: To evaluate a co-designed early menopause digital resource, including audio/video clips, question prompt list, and information links. Methods: Pre/post-test study. Women with early menopause, defined as menopause before age 45 years, were recruited from the community. Following online informed consent, participants were emailed links to the digital resource and online surveys to complete before (baseline) and, immediately and 1 month after viewing the resource. Main outcome measures: Health-related empowerment (Health Education Impact Questionnaire), illness perception (Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire), menopause symptoms (Greene Climacteric Scale), risk perception, and knowledge change. Results: One hundred fifty women participated. Compared to baseline, at 1-month health-related empowerment, ‘health directed behavior’ scores increased (mean change: +0.13; 95% CI: 0.01-0.24; and P = 0.03), ‘emotional distress’ decreased (mean change: −0.15; 95% CI: −0.25 to −0.05; and P = 0.003) and physical and emotional menopause symptom scores decreased (P = 0.001 and P= 0.02, respectively). Illness perception scores increased at both immediate and 1-month follow-up versus baseline for ‘personal control’ (P < 0.001 and P= 0.02) and ‘coherence’ (P = 0.003 and P< 0.001). After viewing the digital resource, more women perceived that hormone therapy decreases heart disease risk, reduces hot flashes, and prevents fractures versus baseline (all P< 0.05). More women correctly answered questions regarding early menopause prevalence (60% vs 35%), cause (46% vs 33%), risk (76% vs 55%), effect of phytoestrogens (60% vs 27%), and osteoporosis prevention (64% vs 44%) at immediate or 1-month follow-up versus baseline (all P< 0.05). Conclusions: A co-designed early menopause digital resource may improve women's health-related empowerment, illness perception, menopause symptoms, risk perception, and knowledge.