Table 1.
Respondent Characteristics Among Women Enrolled at Group Health Cooperative and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Who in 2005–2006 Used Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Attempted Discontinuation, by Discontinuation Success
| Characteristics | Not successful n=337 | Successfully quit HT n=465 |
|---|---|---|
| Age in years (mean±SD) | 57±6 | 58±6 |
| Study site | ||
| Group Health | 41% | 59% |
| Harvard Pilgrim Health Care | 43% | 57% |
| Menopausal status (%) | ||
| Menopause transition | 7% | 8% |
| Postmenopausal | 93% | 92% |
| Hysterectomy | 37% | 31% |
| Surgical menopause | 36% | 30% |
| Menopause symptoms in past 4 weeks (%) | ||
| Hot flashes (p≤0.001) | 35% | 57% |
| Trouble sleeping | 56% | 57% |
| Night or day sweats/cold sweats (p≤0.001) | 30% | 47% |
| Body mass index (mean±SD) (p≤0.001) | 28±6 | 26±5 |
| College graduate/graduate school (%) | 47% | 45% |
| Race/ethnicity (%) | ||
| Hispanic origin, yes/no | 3% | 3% |
| White | 90% | 91% |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Asian | 1% | 1% |
| Black/African American | 4% | 2% |
| Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander | 0.6% | 0% |
| Other | 1% | 1% |
| Multiple races | 4% | 4% |
| Years of HT use (asked only at Group Health) (p≤0.001) | ||
| ≤1 year | 3.1% | 12.5% |
| >1 year, <5 years | 18.9% | 23.4% |
| ≥5 years | 78.0% | 64.1% |
| Number of times tried to quit HT (p≤0.001) | ||
| Once | 50.2% | 69.2% |
| Twice | 26.1% | 18.3% |
| Three or more times | 23.7% | 12.5% |
| Menopause Attitudes Scale (mean±SD)a (p≤0.01) | 2.45±0.31 | 2.67±0.35 |
| HT Attitudes Scale (mean±SD)b (p≤0.001) | 1.74±0.31 | 1.94±0.41 |
| PHQ-8 (mean±SD) | 4.6±0.4.5 | 4.4±0.14.3 |
a
Scale ranges from 1 to 4; higher score indicates stronger belief in menopause as a natural event.
b
Scale ranges from 1 to 4; higher score indicates stronger belief that women should quit HT.
HT, hormone therapy; PHQ-8, Patient Health Questionnaire; SD, standard deviation.