The POWER study is looking for women who are not currently physically active to participate in different forms of exercise with instructor support for 6 weeks.
This study is being conducted by University of Toronto professors Jenna Gillen and Amy Kirkham, who study the use of lifestyle strategies to improve women’s health.
Study Goals
During the years before menopause called “perimenopause,” women often begin to experience menopause symptoms (e.g., hot flashes, night sweats) that can really reduce quality of life. Their risk of heart disease can also increase during this time. However, research on strategies that can be used to reduce menopause symptoms and disease risk is very limited.
Our goal is to produce new evidence, specific to midlife women, on the effects of different forms of exercise on menopause symptoms and chronic disease risk. As a first step toward this goal, this study will assess how easy and enjoyable different exercise approaches are for females in this life stage.
Are you eligible?
In addition to being female, 40 years of age or older, being able to travel to the University of Toronto twice per week for 6 weeks, you must meet the following criteria to participate:
- Perimenopausal (experiencing irregular menstrual cycles)
- Experiencing menopause symptoms
- Not currently on hormonal contraceptive or hormone replacement therapy
What does the study involve?
If you are eligible and choose to participate you would be randomly assigned (like with the flip of a die) to one of three different groups for a 6-week intervention involving either:
- Aerobic exercise at a moderate intensity
- Aerobic exercise alternative periods of high intensity and recovery
- Stretching
Regardless of which intervention you participate in, you will be asked to attend 2 different in-person assessment visits both at the beginning and end of the 6-week intervention.
The assessment visits take place at the University of Toronto in downtown Toronto (Bloor and St. George) to complete tests to measure your fitness and health. We will offer $20 compensation for each assessment visit for your time and transportation.
We also try to make the visits as enjoyable, comfortable, and convenient as possible. Please just ask if there is anything we can do to make your participation possible.
Want to Learn More? Contact Us!
If this sounds interesting and you would like to learn more about participating, the first step will be to complete the following survey to determine if you meet the initial eligibility criteria for the study: https://redcap.utoronto.ca/surveys/?s=X3JCJT83JXFF7ETY
If your responses suggest that you may be eligible, you will be asked to provide your first name, phone number, and an email address at the end of the survey and book a time to speak to a study team member through an online video-call (Zoom). During the call, the rest of the details of the study will be explained to you so that you can decide if you want to participate.
