Cognitive and behavioral weight management strategies during the menopausal transition: Insights from the Menopause and Weight Loss (ME-WEL) project

Leitão, Mafalda ; Pérez-López, Faustino R. ; Marôco, João ; Pimenta, Filipa

Resumen: Objective: Most women experience weight gain during the menopausal transition, often attributed to behavioral factors. Nevertheless, some women successfully maintain a healthy weight during this phase. This study aims to identify the successful cognitive and behavioral weight management strategies employed by postmenopausal women who effectively maintained a healthy weight during the menopausal transition (from premenopause to postmenopause).
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 Portuguese postmenopausal women, aged 45–65 years (mean and standard deviation 54.06 ± 5.51) who successfully maintained a healthy weight (body mass index: 18.5 kg/m2–24.9 kg/m2) during the menopausal transition. The interviews were conducted via telephone (n = 29) and Zoom (n = 2), based on the participant's preference, and ranged from 11 to 52 min (22.06 ± 9.95). Using MAXQDA software, deductive-dominant content analysis of the interviews was performed. The Interface of R for the Multidimensional Analyses of Texts and Questionnaire software was used for lexical analysis.
Results: The qualitative analysis of cognitive and behavioral strategies for successful weight management yielded 17 categories and 37 sub-categories. Effective cognitive and behavioral strategies (e.g., planning content, stimulus control, support: help from others) were identified, mostly aligning with the Oxford Food and Activity Behaviors Taxonomy. Five new categories emerged: dietary choices, intuitive eating, food literacy, psychological self-care, and effortful inhibition.
Conclusion: Knowing effective cognitive and behavioral weight management strategies for menopausal women is relevant, especially considering their status as a high-risk group. This knowledge provides a valuable guide for designing weight management interventions, emphasizing the essential role of behavioral change.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2024.108060

Año: 2024

Publicado en: Maturitas 187 (2024), 108060 [8 pp.]
ISSN: 0378-5122

Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)