Emine Büşra Ümit, Ceren Gezer
Clinical and Experimental Health Sciences - 2026;16(1):32-39
Objective: This study evaluated the relationship between menopause symptoms, diet quality of life, and obesity among 384 women in Gaziantep, Türkiye. Methods: A questionnaire and face-to-face data-collection techniques were used to determine the characteristics of the individuals along with the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), Diet Quality Index - International (DQI-I), and Lifestyle Index (LI). Anthropometric measurements were also obtained. Results: There was a weak inverse correlation between women's DQI-I scores and waist circumference, waist/hip ratio, and waist/height ratio (r=-0.160, p=0.002; r=-0.170, p=0.001; r=-0.180, p<0.001, respectively). There was a weak inverse correlation between women's MRS, DQI-I, and LI scores ( r=-0.157, p=0.002; r=-0.302, p<0.001, respectively). According to the linear regression model, a 1-unit increase in the LI score is associated with a decrease of 0.29 in the MRS score ( beta=-0.29; p<0.001). Conclusion: In summary, increases in obesity and abdominal obesity are associated with the severity of menopausal symptoms. The severity is also related to decreases in both diet quality and quality of life, and increased quality of life is a predictor of decreased severity of menopausal symptoms. Nevertheless, further research should be done with multiple centres, longitudinal follow-up studies, large sample sizes, and intervention studies that prescribe high-quality diets and exercise plans, which may be valuable in assessing the severity of menopausal symptoms.
