Cognitive and behavioral weight management strategies during the menopausal transition: Insights from the Menopause and Weight Loss (ME-WEL) project.

Objective: Most women experience weight gain during the menopausal transition, often attributed to behavioral factors. Nevertheless, some women successfully maintain a healthy weight during this phase. This study aims to identify the successful cognitive and behavioral weight management strategies employed by postmenopausal women who effectively maintained a healthy weight during the menopausal transition (from premenopause to postmenopause).

Weight management strategies in Middle-Aged Women (MAW): Development and validation of a questionnaire based on the Oxford Food and Activity Behaviors Taxonomy (OxFAB-MAW) in a Portuguese sample.

Background: The Oxford Food and Activity Behaviors (OxFAB) taxonomy systematize the cognitive-behavioral strategies adopted by individuals who are attempting to manage their weight. The present study aimed to (1) develop a questionnaire based on the OxFAB taxonomy, specifically adapted for middle-aged women-the OxFAB-MAW-stage of life and sex, which present a high incidence of obesity, (2) assess the psychometric properties of this tool, and (3) evaluate the discriminative power of the OxFAB-MAW (normal weight vs. obesity).

Predictors of stress and depressive mood in Portuguese middle-aged women.

This cross-sectional study investigates the predictors of psychological symptoms-stress and depressive mood-in a sample of middle-aged women. A community sample of 1,003 women filled in the questionnaires and instruments, which included the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales and the Life Events Survey; sociodemographic, health, and menopause-related and lifestyle information was also collected. Structural equation modeling was used to build the model that had stress and depressive mood as dependent variables.