Encore Presentations
Sunday, November 12, 2023
12:45 PM–02:15 PM
Abstract
ACCP 2023 (Encore), draft abstract for submission
Title: The effectiveness of sharing stories about menopause-related symptoms and lifestyle management approaches: Findings from qualitative research on women’s understanding and activation after listening to a menopause podcast
“I could identify with a bunch of stuff, I could identify with talking to somebody at work while the sweat was pouring down my face”
Introduction: Menopause can negatively impact women’s quality of life, with many women reporting inadequate information and support. There are numerous sources of health information that women may access to better understand menopause symptoms. Podcasts as a channel for health information have grown in recent years, as accessible methods for increasing knowledge and challenging perceptions of stigmatized topics. However, the use of podcasts to increase understanding of menopause symptoms and lifestyle management has not yet been explored.
Objective: The current research aimed to understand the impact of a podcast on women’s menopause-related knowledge, understanding, and communication practices.
Methods: A diverse sample of 30 women aged 40-60 years listened to the podcast series, which focused on menopause stories, before taking part in semi-structured interviews to discuss the impact of the podcast on how they understood and communicated about menopause. The interviews were analysed thematically. The podcast “menopause:unmuted” adopts a single-point perspective and immersive storytelling techniques, where five women shared their menopause experiences over five 20-minute long episodes. Additionally, a women’s health professional provided a medical perspective to contextualise the stories. The podcast was funded by Pfizer Inc.
Results: Two overarching themes were identified. A ‘journey of knowledge gain’ explores understanding of menopause before listening to the podcast and describes how this was deepened by hearing and connecting with women’s stories. ‘Reframing menopause’ describes the impact of the podcast, where women reflect on the value of sharing personal menopause stories, challenging the stigmatization of menopause, and motivating them to consider positive behavioural changes in their lives to support symptom-management.
Conclusions: This is the first known study to explore the impact of listening to a podcast to educate women about menopause. The podcast operated as a platform for women to share their experiences of menopause openly and honestly. Sharing stories in this way helped women to learn about a range of menopause symptoms and experiences, have a greater sense of belonging to a community of women, and feel empowered to make lifestyle changes. Sharing stories via podcasts has potential as an accessible and impactful medium to educate women and reduce the widespread stigma associated with menopause.
Suggested Authors: Amy Sumner, PhD1,2, Philippa Shaw, PhD1, Candida Halton, MSc1,2, Stacy Bailey, PhD MPH3, Mary Jane Minkin, MD4, Helaine Bader, MPH5, *Margaret Noyes Essex, Phi6, Tina Cartwright, PhD1
1 School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK; 2 Studio Health, London, UK; 3 Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA; 4 Yale University School of Medicine, P.O. Box 208098, New Haven, CT, USA;
5 HealthyWomen P.O. Box 336, Middletown, NJ, USA; 6 Pfizer Inc., New York, NY, USA.
*presenting author
Presenting Author
Margaret Noyes Essex PharmDUniversity of Westminster
Authors
Helaine Bader MPH
HealthyWomen
Stacy Bailey PhD MPH
Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Tina Cartwright PhD
University of Westminster
Candida Halton MSc
University of Westminster
Mary Jane Minkin MD
Yale University School of Medicine
Philippa Shaw PhD
University of Westminster
Amy Sumner PhD
University of Westminster