Browsing by Author "Utian, Wulf (7005088867)"

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess and compare general menopausal quality of life in Serbia and Portugal. Methods: In all, 1,503 women aged between 40 and 65 years from Belgrade, Serbia, and Lisbon, Portugal, were included in the study. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the Utian Quality of Life (UQOL) scale were used in data collection. Results: The average age of women was 50 (SD=5.61) years. Serbian and Portuguese women differed in all sociodemographic characteristics except for body mass index (BMI) and relationship status. There were no significant differences in UQOL total score (P=0.629) or UQOL sexual score (P=0.396) between Serbian and Portuguese women. However, occupational (P<0.001) and health (P=0.003) scores were significantly higher in the Serbian sample, whereas Portuguese women had higher emotional scores (P<0.001). Based on the total study sample, women with an average UQOL score were more highly educated, employed, non-smokers, and physically active, and more likely to obtain medical assistance for climacteric symptoms compared with women who reported lower UQOL score. In addition to these characteristics, women with a higher UQOL score had higher annual income, no recent illnesses, and optimal BMI compared with women who reported a lower UQOL score. Conclusions: This study showed that diverse populations of midlife women can have similar perceptions of quality of life as it encompasses broad dimensions of menopausal somatic and psychosocial symptoms, as well as habits and lifestyle. Further comparative studies using the UQOL scale are warranted to offer more information on the delicate factors influencing well-being in climacteric women worldwide. © 2017 by The North American Menopause Society.

Objective: This study aimed to translate the Utian Quality of Life Scale (UQOL) into the Serbian and to assess its validity and psychometric properties in Serbian peri- and postmenopausal women. Methods: This survey included 200 perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Women were approached after their regular gynecological checkup in two community health centers (city center and outskirts) in the capital city Belgrade. The following instruments were used: general questionnaire (sociodemographics, habits, and medical history), UQOL, Short Form-36, and Beck Depression Inventory. The UQOL was translated according to the recommended methodology for translating questionnaires, and its psychometric properties (internal consistency, factor analysis, discriminant validity, construct validity, and criterion validity) were tested. Results: The mean (SD) UQOL total score was 80.5 (13.5). The Cronbach's α coefficient for the entire scale was 0.83 (Occupational, α=0.76; Health-Related, α=0.72; Emotional, α=0.36; Sexual, α=0.66). All corrected item-total correlation coefficients were greater than 0.40, confirming that all items were appropriate parts of the UQOL. On exploratory factor analysis, we obtained six factors (five items formed two new clusters: Physical Fitness and Professional Recognition) that explained 85.7% of the total variance. The UQOL total score was significantly negatively correlated with Beck Depression Inventory score (P=0.001) and significantly positively correlated with all Short Form-36 domains (P=0.001). In addition, significant intercorrelations of UQOL domains also indicated good criterion validity. Conclusions: The Serbian version of the UQOL demonstrates satisfactory reliability and validity in the assessment of quality of life among peri- and postmenopausal women. The Serbian version of the UQOL is an adequate quality-of-life instrument in the Serbian language that can be applied in the everyday clinical setting. © 2015 by The North American Menopause Society.