Impact of menopause education interventions on knowledge, symptoms and quality of life: Protocol for a systematic review

Introduction The menopause transition is a critical period of life for women associated with a variety of symptoms that may impact health status and quality of life. Menopause education can improve menopause knowledge and self-efficacy, leading to the adaptation of self-management strategies that may reduce menopause symptom burden and enhance quality of life. The purpose of this review is to systematically evaluate the research on the effect of menopause education interventions among midlife women (age 35-55 years) on menopause knowledge, self-efficacy, symptoms and quality of life. Methods and analysis This protocol is guided by the 2015 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols. We will comprehensively search for articles published from all publication years through December 2024 in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertation and Theses, and Scopus. The search strategy will include the following key terms and Medical Subject Headings terms: € menopause', € menopausal', € menopause transition', € climacteric', € health promotion', € health education' and € patient education'. Eligible studies will be experimental or quasi-experimental and include midlife women (age 35-55 years) who have received a menopause education intervention. Studies must report on the impact of menopause education interventions on menopause knowledge, self-efficacy, symptoms or quality of life. Only peer-reviewed articles and dissertations in English and Spanish will be included. Behavioural interventions (diet, physical activity, yoga) and medical interventions will be excluded. Two reviewers will independently perform data extraction and assess study quality/risk of bias with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomised experimental studies (RoB2) and the Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions tool (ROBINS-I). A narrative approach will be used to synthesise findings. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required for this systematic review of published literature. Findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journal publications, presentations at professional scientific meetings and social media. PROSPERO registration number CRD42024599106.