The Association between Severity of Menopausal Symptoms and Work Ability Index among University Staff.

Background: Some menopausal symptoms can negatively affect people's daily activities. The work ability index (WAI) investigates employees at risk of work-related disabilities. The current study, conducted at Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, evaluated the association between the severity of symptoms during the menopausal transition and the work ability index. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive study, 170 female subjects in the age range of menopause transition (42 to 54 years) were selected from the list of female employees at Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, using the simple random sampling method. Data were collected using a socio-demographic characteristics form, the work ability questionnaire, and the severity of menopause symptoms questionnaire. Finally, the data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22). ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient were applied for data analysis. Results: The mean±SD of the WAI score was 38.88±6.55. The mean ± SD of intensity of physical, mental, and urogenital menopausal symptoms were 7.44±2.96, 6.46±2.67, and 5.32±2.30, respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient between menopausal symptom severity and work ability was significantly negative (p<0.001, r=-0.418). Conclusion: The reduced work ability of female employees may cause increased absenteeism, additional costs for the employer, reduced employee productivity, and increased production costs, especially in the industry and service sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]