Cluster Analysis on Gastrointestinal Symptoms during Menopausal Transition.
Eun-Ok Im, Mi-Young Choi, Ruiqi Jin and 2 others
PMID 35801285WHAT IT FOUND
Midlife women cluster into three groups by gastrointestinal symptom severity.
Asian women reported fewer symptoms than other groups, but only among those with low or moderate severity. Race and ethnicity were not linked to symptom clusters once other health and social factors were adjusted.
Key findings
01Participants were grouped into three clusters based on gastrointestinal symptom severity: low (46.0%), moderate (44.0%), and high (10.0%).
02Asian women reported lower numbers and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms compared to other racial/ethnic groups, but this difference was only significant in the low and moderate symptom clusters.
03While race/ethnicity was initially associated with symptom clusters, this association disappeared when adjusting for 11 other variables such as employment, income, and menopausal status.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is a secondary analysis using predetermined variables from parent studies, which limits the ability to assess the internal structure of the symptom scale. Data were self-reported and collected from women with regular internet access, which may not represent all midlife women. The analysis did not include diverse sub-ethnic groups within the major racial/ethnic categories. The study could not determine the clinical meaning of the identified symptom clusters.
Declared interests
The research was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research (N.I.H., Extramural). No other conflicts of interest were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the initial significant association between race/ethnicity and symptom clusters as evidence that race determines GI risk. This association was not significant after adjusting for 11 other variables, indicating that factors like income, social support, and BMI are more predictive of symptom clustering than race/ethnicity alone.