This is a continuation application which requests three additional years of funding (years 09 through 11) for a study which was originally funded for five years and has received a subsequent three year extension. The investigators propose to complete analyses and manuscripts based on an important data set on 2,500 women. These women were recruited from an initial random sample of women born in the period 1926 through 1936 and residing in Massachusetts as of January 1, 1981 using a two stage self-weighting sampling design. A total of 8,050 useable responses were obtained from mailed questionnaires or telephone interviews yielding a conservative response rate of 77%. All women responding to this initial survey who were still menstruating were then included in a prospective study of the relationship of menopause to health and social functioning. Six telephone interviews, conducted every nine months, were completed on 2,313 or 85% of all eligible women over approximately five years. Interviews three and four on peri-menopausal women included a daily health record for one week (63.5% response rate or 436 of all eligible women.) The primary aims for this continuation are: 1) to determine what is the epidemiology of the stages in a natural menopause transition; 2) how is reported symptomatology differentially related to a natural or surgical menopause transition; 3) are there differences in healthcare or health-related help seeking at specific stages as a function of different types of menopausal transition; 4) what factors other than menopause affect changes in reported depression in this population of mid-aged women; and 5) how do lifestyle/ behaviors and changes in these contribute to increases in levels of risk factors for heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis. This continuation application follows a three year continuation years 06 through 08 which was funded. The goals of that continuation were to: 1) complete data collection; 2) complete coding and editing of data; 3) conduct specific validation studies; 4) send a final report to respondents; and 5) complete all analyses required to address the study goals. The first three tasks were complete by the end of the year 07. Analyses on the entire data set began at the end of year 07 leaving only one year for all final analyses and manuscripts. A further three years to complete planned analyses on this data set are being requested.
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