Highlights
- •
- We examine levels of awareness and knowledge regarding andropause in women.
- •
- The levels of awareness between nurses and office workers were different.
- •
- Nurses with experience of menopausal symptoms were likely to recognize andropause.
- •
- Nurses had a higher level of knowledge for andropause than did office workers.
Abstract
Objective
The
objective of this study was to examine levels of awareness and
knowledge regarding male climacteric or andropause in Japanese women. We
also examined whether there are differences in these levels between
nurses as a health profession group and office workers as a general
population group.
Methods
Two
thousand and eight hundred female registered nurses and women with
office-related general occupations aged 20–65 years in Japan completed
health questionnaires regarding awareness and knowledge of male
climacteric, including male menopausal symptoms and treatments.
Results
The
proportion in women who had heard of the term male climacteric in
nurses was significantly higher than that in office workers. Nurses with
past or current experience of menopausal symptoms were likely to
recognize male climacteric. Nurses also had a higher level of knowledge
than did office workers regarding male menopausal symptoms. High
proportions of both nurses and office workers acknowledged depressed
mood, irritability, nervousness and sleep problems as male menopausal
symptoms. The proportions of women with sympathy for men with male
climacteric were high in women with experience of past or current
menopausal symptoms and in women who were close to men who suffered from
menopausal symptoms.
Conclusions
Nurses
with past or current experience of menopausal symptoms had high levels
of awareness and knowledge of male climacteric. To spread more
information and knowledge regarding male climacteric, provision of
education for these nurses may be needed.
Keywords
- Nurse;
- Awareness;
- Knowledge;
- Male climacteric
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+81 88 633 9023; fax: +81 88 631 2630.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.