Hot flash report and measurement among Bangladeshi migrants, their London neighbors, and their community of origin

Abstract

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Objective measurements and subjective hot flash reports were examined in relation to demographic, reproductive, anthropometric, and lifestyle variables; temperature and humidity at 12:00 and 18:00; and time spent on housework and cooking. Concordance of objective and subjective hot flashes was assessed by Kappa statistics and by sensitivity of hot flash classification.Results: During the study period, Bangladeshi sedentees reported more subjective hot flashes (p<0.05), but there was no difference in number of objective hot flashes. White Londoners were more likely to describe hot flashes on their face and neck compared to Bangladeshis (p<0.05).Sedentees were more likely to describe hot flashes on their feet (p<0.05). Post-menopausal status, increasing parity, and high levels of housework were significant determinants of subjective hot flashes, while ambient temperature and humidity were not. Measures of subjective/objective concordance were low but similar across groups (10% to 20%). The proportion of objective hot flashes that were also self-reported was lowest among immigrants.Discussion: Hot flashes were not associated with warmer temperatures, but were associated with housework and with site-specific patterns of cooking. The number of objective hot flash measures did not differ, but differences in subjective experience suggest the influence of culture.

Menopausal experiences of South Asian immigrant women: a scoping review

“…Five (45%, 5/11) studies examined vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats, experienced by South Asian immigrant women 18,22,24-26 . The incidence of vasomotor symptoms was inconsistent across study findings.…”

Do vasomotor and genitourinary symptoms of menopause vary between sedente and migrant groups? A study on the Oraon tribal populations of Eastern India

“…They also put on apron over their usual attire (traditionally called Saree ) to protect it from dust and dirt. Sievert et al (2016) in a Bangladesh based study argued that covering of head, neck and chest by sedente Muslim women increases the likelihood of experiencing hot flashes than that of their immigrants' counterpart. The higher prevalence of hot flashes among our migrant participants could also be attributed to their practice of covering their head and chest during the working hours of the day.…”

“…Around 40%–54% of women experience GSM after the onset of menopausal transition (Dasgupta & Ray, 2015). Studies also indicate that the concomitants of menopausal symptoms (like vasomotor and genitourinary) vary with rural–urban residence (Greendale & Gold, 2005; Dasgupta & Ray, 2015), religious practices (Steffen, 2011) and migration history (Begum et al, 2016; Sievert et al, 2016). All these factors contribute to the local ecology of a population.…”

“…To cope with these ecological challenges, the migrants may develop a different reproductive life history pattern compared to their sedente counterpart (Mascie‐Taylor & Little, 2004; Nørredam, 2015). For example, significant variations in age at menopause (Murphy et al, 2013) and in the prevalence of hot flash (Sievert et al, 2016) have been observed when compared for Bangladeshi sedentes, Bangladeshi immigrants of London and the white London native women. In another study, Kilaf and Kirchengast (2008) found lower age at the menopause and lesser prevalence of menopausal symptoms among the Turkish immigrant women in Austria compared to their native Austrian counterparts and other Turkish women.…”

No impact of developmental conditions on serum estradiol levels among Bangladeshi women in the UK and Bangladesh

“…Due to the small sample size of postmenopausal women in the child migrant category (n = 1), we limited the migrant status variable to three levels for the main analyses: (i) Bangladeshi sedentees, (ii) adult migrants to the UK, and (iii) UK white women (i.e., child migrants were only included in the supplementary analyses). The women represent a subsample of a larger study that investigated reproductive aging at midlife and who were willing to volunteer for venipuncture (Begum et al, 2016;Dhanoya et al, 2016;Murphy et al, 2013;Sharmeen et al, 2013;Sievert et al, 2008Sievert et al, , 2016.…”