Quality of life in peri- and post-menopausal Polish women living in Lublin Province - differences between urban and rural dwellers

Introduction and objective: The quality of life in peri- and post-menopausal women constitutes a serious public health problem. The aim of this observational cross-sectional study was to reveal the influence of the permanent domicile on the quality of life of women in peri- and post-menopausal period, and to establish the influence of employment as a full-time agricultural worker on the quality of life in these women. Materials and methods: The research was carried out by means of a survey using the postal questionnaire technique. Three standardized questionnaires: WHOQOL-BREF, Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ) and SF-36 were used as research tools. An original questionnaire was also used. The study comprised a representative sample of the female population aged 45-65 living in Lublin Province. The sample size was 2,143 women. Results: The quality of the women's life was significantly affected by the place of permanent residence. The worst quality of life was found in permanent country dwellers. City and town inhabitants revealed a considerably higher level of quality of life. Permanent place of residence in the country was an independent predictor of a poorer quality of life. Employment as a full-time agricultural worker was an independent predictor of a worse quality of life in the SOM domain of WHQ, as well as RP, RF and RE domains of SF-36. On the other hand, employment as a full-time agricultural worker was an independent predictor of a better quality of life in the SLE domain of WHQ, and psychological domain of WHOQFL-BREF. Conclusions: Awareness of the dependence is necessary in order to effectively plan health education and physical and social health promotion campaigns. Country dwellers need special attention in the process of undertaking any preventive or curative steps.