Thesis Defence: Association Between Modifiable Health Behaviors and Body Composition, Physical Function, and Metabolic Health in Females According to Menopausal Status and Hormone Replacement Therapy
June 20 at 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Maryam Aghayan, supervised by Dr. Sarah Purcell, will defend their thesis titled “Association Between Modifiable Health Behaviors and Body Composition, Physical Function, and Metabolic Health in Females According to Menopausal Status and Hormone Replacement Therapy” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Health and Exercise Sciences.
An abstract for Maryam Aghayan’s thesis is included below.
Defences are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Registration is not required for in-person defences.
Abstract
Background/aims: Menopausal status, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and modifiable health behaviours (MHBs) may have different effects on health outcomes. This study aimed to characterize longitudinal changes in relationships between MHBs and health outcomes in relation to menopausal and HRT status.
Methods: Baseline and first follow-up data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were used. Participants were categorized into pre/peri-menopausal, postmenopausal-HRT naïve, postmenopausal-current HRT users, and postmenopausal-previous HRT users. MHBs included diet quality (PURE diet score), total physical activity, and sleep duration and health outcomes included fat and appendicular lean mass index, gait speed, maximal grip strength, and metabolic health z-score. Analysis of covariance and linear mixed models were used with age and demographic measurements as covariates.
Results: Among 10,165 females, mean age was 61.3 ± 9.9 years, and 67.6% were postmenopausal. At baseline, PURE diet score and physical activity were negatively associated with fat mass index and positively associated with appendicular lean mass index, gait speed, and grip strength. No association was observed for sleep duration. At follow-up, higher PURE diet scores and physical activity were increasingly associated with improved metabolic health z-score. Physical activity was also less strongly associated with appendicular lean mass index. The effect of sleep duration on fat and appendicular lean mass index was stronger over time; the effect on gait speed and grip strength was weaker over time. The relationship between physical activity and fat mass was stronger over time, especially in all postmenopausal groups, and the relationship between sleep duration and appendicular lean mass index was stronger in the postmenopausal-HRT naïve group. The relationship between sleep and gait speed was weaker in postmenopausal-HRT naïve and postmenopausal-current HRT users, while the relationship between sleep and grip strength was weaker in the postmenopausal-current HRT users.
Conclusion: At baseline, higher PURE diet scores and physical activity were related to lower fat mass and better physical function. Over time, these associations strengthened, especially in postmenopausal groups, while sleep duration showed varying effects by HRT status. These findings reinforce the importance of diet, physical activity, and sleep to counteract menopause-related metabolic and functional decline, with many benefits observed over time.
