HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY AMONG WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES

Principal Investigator: Heather Becker, PhD
Co-Investigators: Dorothy Gordon, DNSc, RN, FAAN
                                 Alexa Stuifbergen, PhD, RN, FAAN

Little is known about how women with physical impairments experience menopause, how they make key health decisions during this critical phase of their lives, or what information women want or have regarding these issues. The study explored the factors women with physical impairments consider when making decisions about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and what facilitates their decision-making. Women in health and disability programs around the United States who expressed interest were sent a survey booklet with a demographic questionnaire, a Beliefs about HRT scale based on Fishbein and Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior and the O’Connor Knowledge and Decisional Conflict Scale to assess knowledge and perceived conflict about HRT. The survey was available in English, Spanish, Braille and on the Internet.

STATUS: Completed 5/2001.

See abstract included with Women's Health Conference abstracts.

You may read about the results of this study in the following journals:

Becker, H., Stuifbergen, A., & Gordon, D. (2002).The decision to take hormone replacement therapy among women with disabilities. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 24 (3), 264-281

Becker, H., Stuifbergen, A., & Gordon, D. (In press). Menopausal experiences and hormone replacement therapy among women with physical impairments. Women's Health Issues.