The importance of continued exercise participation in quality of life and psychological well-being in previously inactive postmenopausal women

In Brief Objective: Exercise and physical activity provide a wide range of health benefits for postmenopausal women, although the impact of maintained exercise participation on psychological well-being is unclear. An exploration of continued exercise participation in psychological well-being after a moderate-intensity exercise program in previously inactive postmenopausal women was therefore undertaken. Design: Twenty-three healthy sedentary postmenopausal women (age 56 ± 4 years) were randomly assigned to two groups. All participants completed the Short Form-36, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Health Anxiety Questionnaire (HAQ) and then began a 6-week walking program at 50% heart rate reserve defined by V̇o2 treadmill testing. Post-intervention, all participants underwent repeat V̇o2 treadmill testing and questionnaires. Group 1 was then instructed to continue exercising, whereas group 2 was instructed to desist for an additional 6-week period. On completion of the 6-week follow-up, participants completed a final set of questionnaires. Results: Participants performed 97% of the prescribed 15-hour (900 minute) exercise program (875.1 ± 177.4 minutes) in an average of 26 ± 5 sessions. Total HAQ (P = 0.001), health worry (P = 0.001), fear of illness (P = 0.037), reassurance seeking behavior (P = 0.037), SF-36 well-being (P = 0.037), total HADS (P = 0.019), and HADS depression (P = 0.015) improved significantly following the exercise program. At follow-up, group 1 had lower HADS anxiety (P = 0.013), total HADS (P = 0.02), total HAQ (P = 0.03), and HAQ interference with life (P = 0.03) and significantly higher SF-36 energy (P = 0.01) than group 2. Conclusions: Healthy postmenopausal women gain significant psychological benefit from moderate-intensity exercise. However, exercise participation must continue to maintain improvements in psychological well-being and quality of life. Participation in moderate-intensity exercise has been shown to improve psychological morbidity and quality of life in a number of patient populations, although little research has been undertaken in healthy postmenopausal women. This pilot study explores the impact of a brisk walking program on healthy postmenopausal women and assesses the need for continued exercise participation to maintain any improvements in psychological morbidity and quality of life.