"Menopause Experiences in Cultural and Intercultural Contexts" (VIMEC-IC)

"Menopause Experiences in Intercultural Contexts and Healthcare Professionals: A Mixed- Methods Study Protocol in Community Settings"

The climacteric period involves physical, hormonal, and emotional changes that can impact a woman's quality of life. This mixed-methods study aims to explore the perceptions and experiences of women during menopause and the influence of cultural ethnicity on their quality of life in Primary Care centers in Tarragona. The research includes a quantitative phase to assess healthcare professionals' knowledge via electronic surveys and a qualitative phase using individual interviews with women from diverse backgrounds. The goal is to identify specific needs to adapt community nursing interventions and improve health promotion and equity during the climacteric stage.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Valid MeSH Conditions
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Survey and Semi-structured Interview

Detailed Description

This study employs a mixed-methods approach to provide a comprehensive understanding of the climacteric process in the health area of Tarragona. The research is divided into two distinct but complementary phases:

1. Quantitative Phase (Cross-sectional Descriptive Study):

   The objective is to evaluate the level of knowledge and the attitudes of healthcare professionals (nurses and physicians) regarding menopause management.

   Data Collection: An ad hoc questionnaire will be distributed electronically through the corporate email systems of the Primary Care centers (ICS).

   Variables: Sociodemographic data, professional profile, and specific knowledge scores on menopause, Mediterranean diet, and physical activity recommendations.

   Analysis: Descriptive and inferential statistics will be performed using IBM SPSS Statistics.

2. Qualitative Phase (Phenomenological Approach):

The objective is to explore the lived experiences, perceptions, and cultural influences of women in the climacteric stage.

Data Collection: Semi-structured individual interviews will be conducted with women from diverse sociocultural and ethnic backgrounds to ensure maximum variation.

Sampling: Purposeful sampling will be used until data saturation is reached.

Analysis: All interviews will be transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis with the support of Atlas.ti software.

Ethics and Integration:

The study follows the Declaration of Helsinki and has been approved by the Ethics Committee (IDIAP Jordi Gol). Data from both phases will be integrated to identify specific gaps in clinical practice and the real-world needs of women, aiming to design better community nursing interventions.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 25

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Rocío Legaz Pagán, PhD Student, RN, BcS; Phone Number: 0034 +34646057662; Email: rlegazpagan39@gmail.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Marina Gómez de Quero Cordoba, RN, MSN, PhD; Email: marina.gomezdequero@urv.cat

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Tarragona, Spain
    • Recruiting
    • Institut Català de la Salut (ICS) - Camp de Tarragona.
    • Contact: Marina Gómez de Quero Cordoba, RN, MSN, PhD; Email: marina.gomezdequero@urv.cat
    • Contact: Rocío Legaz Pagán, RN, BcS, PhD Student; Phone Number: 0034 646057662; Email: rlegazpagan39@gmail.com
    • Principal Investigator: Rocío Legaz Pagán, RN, BcS, PhD Student
    • Sub-Investigator: Marina Gómez de Quero Cordoba, RN, MSN, PhD
    • Sub-Investigator: Rosa Raventós Torner, RN, MSN, PhD
    • Sub-Investigator: Cristina Rey Reñones, RN, MSN, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of two main groups located in the Tarragona healthcare area:

Healthcare Professionals: Nurses and physicians working in Primary Care centers (Institut Català de la Salut) who provide care to women during the climacteric stage.

Women in the Climacteric Stage: Women aged 40 to 65 years from diverse sociocultural and ethnic backgrounds who are users of the Primary Care centers in the same geographical area.

The sample will be drawn from urban and rural health centers to ensure a representative professional perspective and a diverse range of lived experiences from the women interviewed.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

For professionals:

• Healthcare professional aged 18 years or older.
• Currently working in the Primary Care setting.
• Provide care or work with women in the climateric stage.
• Agreement to participate and completion of the anonymous survey after providing informed consent.

For Women (Qualitative Phase):

• Women aged 40 to 65 years.
• Currently in the climacteric stage (perimenopause or postmenopause).
• Belonging to diverse sociocultural or ethnic backgrounds.
• Ability to communicate and provide informed consent for the individual interview.

Exclusion Criteria:

For porfessionals:

*Refusal to participate in the study or incomplete electronic survey.

For Women (Qualitative Phase):

• Inability to understand the study's language (Spanish or Catalan).
• Cognitive impairment that prevents the participant from providing informed consent or participating in the interview/survey.
• Refusal to participate in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Healthcare Professionals; Primary care nurses and physicians working in the health centers of Tarragona (ICS). This group will participate in the quantitative phase by completing an online survey about their knowledge and attitudes toward menopause.	Behavioral: Survey and Semi-structured Interview; For Professionals: An electronic questionnaire to assess knowledge and attitudes toward menopause. For Women: A qualitative semi-structured interview to explore their perceptions and lived experiences during the climacteric stage.
Women in Climacteric Stage; Women aged between 40 and 65 years from diverse sociocultural and ethnic backgrounds. This group will participate in the qualitative phase through individual semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences and quality of life.	Behavioral: Survey and Semi-structured Interview; For Professionals: An electronic questionnaire to assess knowledge and attitudes toward menopause. For Women: A qualitative semi-structured interview to explore their perceptions and lived experiences during the climacteric stage.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perceptions and Lived Experiences of Women in the Climacteric Stage.	Exploration of the subjective experiences, cultural influences, and quality of life through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews.	Baseline.
Level of Knowledge and Attitudes of Healthcare Professionals Regarding Menopause.	Evaluation of knowledge scores and professional attitudes towards menopause management through an ad hoc electronic questionnaire. The questionnaire provides a total score ranging from 0 to10, where 0 indicates the lowest level of knowledge and poorest attitude, and 10 indicates the highest level of knowledge and most positive attitude towards menopause management.	Baseline at the time of survey completion.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Institut Investigacio Sanitaria Pere Virgili
• Investigators: Study Chair: Rosa Raventós Torner, RN, MSN, PhD, Universidad Rovira i Virgili; Study Director: Cristina Rey Reñones, RN, MSN, PhD, Universidad Rovira Y Virgili; Principal Investigator: Rocío Legaz Pagán, PhD Student, RN, MSc, Universidad Rovira Y Virgili; Study Director: Marina Gómez de Quero Cordoba, RN, MSN, PhD, Universidad Rovira Y Virgili

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 27, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 22, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 22, 2030

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 29, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 12, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 15, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 12, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physical activity; quality of life; Menopause; Nursing; Mediterranean Diet
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Motor Activity; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation; Investigative Techniques; Epidemiologic Methods; Data Collection; Health Care Evaluation Mechanisms; Quality of Health Care; Public Health; Environment and Public Health; Surveys and Questionnaires
• Other Study ID Numbers: 24/165-P; 7722 (Other Identifier: PhD Program Student ID URV)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: "Individual participant data will not be shared to protect the confidentiality and anonymity of the participants, in accordance with the informed consent and Spanish data protection laws (LOPDGDD 3/2018)."

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No