Objective. Menopause is characterized by the presence of emotional instability and greater dissatisfaction with life. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the effects of an exercise intervention on quality of life and optimism in perimenopausal women.
Method. Fourteen perimenopausal women (54.1 ± 3.2 years) participated in a 9 weeks (60 minutes/session, 3 days/week) moderate-vigorous intensity (12-16 rating of perceived effort) exercise intervention (aerobic and resistance exercise mainly). Health-related quality of life and general optimism and pessimism were evaluated by means of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Revised Life Orientation Test, respectively. Non-parametric Wilcoxon signed ranks test for paired samples was used.
Results. The exercise program improved physical function by 12% (P < 0.05) and emotional role by 18% (P = 0.05). No statistically significant differences were found for the remaining SF-36 dimensions. After the exercise intervention participants’ general optimism improved 21% (P < 0.05).
Conclusion. An exercise intervention program is successful by improving the physical functioning and general optimism of perimenopausal women. Because of the small sample size, the results must be taken cautiously. Future studies with greater sample sizes should confirm the present results.
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