Effect of empowerment strategies on quality of life, perceived stress, activities of daily living and sleep quality among woman with perimenopausal symptoms: A randomized controlled community trial

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of empowerment strategies on quality of life (QOL), sleep quality, level of perceived stress, and activity of daily living (ADL) among perimenopausal women. Materials and Methods: A single-blinded randomized, controlled community trial was adapted. The sample consisted of 70 (35 in each group) perimenopausal women in Tapoban community, Bhubaneswar. A purposive sampling technique was used. Tools used were structured sociodemographic questions, the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire tool, ADL scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scale, and the Perceived Stress scale. The perimenopausal empowerment strategy was introduced to the intervention arm, and the control arm received standard care provided by the government. Descriptive statistics and analytical statistics (paired t -test, Chi-square) were employed to compare groups and examine relationships. Statistical analysis was likely conducted using SPSS version 21 software. The significance level was set at <0.05. Results: The study found a significant improvement in the QOL among perimenopausal women in the experimental group after intervention ( t = 16.764, P < 0.00001). However, there were no significant differences between the experimental and control groups in terms of IADL scores ( P = 0.323) and PSQI scores ( P = 0.323) after intervention. The control group had significantly higher perceived stress scores compared to the experimental group ( P = 0.003). Age and employment status showed significant association with sociodemographic factors associated with QOL. Working women had a poorer QOL compared to homemakers, which was statistically significant ( P = 0.023). Conclusion: Empowerment strategies, such as training on improving sleep patterns, QOL, self-care activities and reducing perceived stress, were found to be effective interventions for perimenopausal women.