Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to find the effects of an exercise program on body composition, serum lipids, and menopausal symptoms in Korean menopausal women.
METHODS
This research used nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 30 middle-aged women who were divided into two groups, an experimental group (n=16) who participated in the exercise program and a control group (n=14). The exercise program was composed of gymnastic-ball exercises with RPE 12~13 intensity, 50 minutes' duration and three times a week for 12 weeks from April 1 to June 30, 2008. The dependent variables (body composition, serum lipids, menopause symptoms, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction) were measured before and after exercise program.
RESULTS
There were statistically significant difference in weight (F=2.92, p=.049), percent body fat (F=4.22, p=.040), total cholesterol (F=2.63, p=.017) and high density lipoprotein (F=6.74, p=.015) between the two groups. Psychological menopausal symptoms also decreased significantly (F=7.01, p=.014) after the exercise in the experimental group.
CONCLUSIONS
Regular gymnastic-ball exercises are helpful for menopausal women. They have positive effects not only on body composition and serum lipids but also on the decrease of menopausal symptoms. The results of this study suggest that gymnastic-ball exercise programs are effective in health promotion of Korean middle-aged women, and thus it is necessary to develop exercise programs for women.

• Keywords: Women;Exercise;Body Composition;Lipids;Menopause;