Korean Journal of Health Promotion  2016;16(2):119-126

doi:10.15384/kjhp.2016.16.2.119

Association between Metabolic Syndrome and Psychological Characteristics in Korean Postmenopausal Women.

Eunjoo KWON 1 ; Eun Hee NAH ; Hyekyeong KIM ; Sook Haeng JOE ; Han Ik CHO

Affiliations

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Keywords

Metabolic syndrome X; Mental health; Anxiety; Depression; Postmenopause

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome is a major health problem in postmenopausal women, along with psychological issues. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and mental health properties targeting middle-aged menopausal women, and analyzed the psychological factors affecting the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. METHODS: The study subjects were 479 postmenopausal women aged 45-64 years, who had taken their routine health screenings from August to October in 2012. The presence of 3 or more of 5 risk factors constitutes diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. Depression, trait anxiety, and stress level were measured by Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Inventory, and Brief Encounter Psychological Instrument, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to confirm the relationship between the metabolic syndrome and psychological characteristics. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women was 16.5%. Metabolic syndrome was significantly related with trait anxiety (odds ratio [OR]=16.53, P=0.007) and depression (OR=0.16, P=0.012), after adjusting for age, marital status, educational level, monthly income, body mass index, eating habits and exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Trait anxiety and depression were found to be related with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women.