Date of Award
Fall 10-8-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Kinesiology (EdD)
Department
Kinesiology
First Advisor
Mark Moore
Second Advisor
Maleah Winkler
Third Advisor
Sherene Woolcock
Abstract
Menopause is associated with physical, psychological, and vasomotor symptoms that can affect women’s health, quality of life, and participation in physical activity. Although physical activity has been widely recommended for managing health during menopause, the relationship between outdoor recreation, menopausal symptoms, and overall well-being has remained underexplored. This cross-sectional mixed-methods study examined the relationship between outdoor recreation participation, menopausal symptoms, and well-being while identifying barriers to participation and recommendations for recreation programming. Fifteen menopausal women completed the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS) and participated in focus groups addressing outdoor recreation experiences, barriers, motivations, and perceived well-being. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman rank-order correlations, while qualitative responses were examined through thematic analysis. Results indicated no statistically significant associations between years of outdoor recreation participation and total or domain GCS scores. However, participants perceived outdoor recreation as beneficial to their physical and mental well-being, particularly through improved mood, reduced stress, better sleep, social connection, relaxation, and connection with nature. Key barriers included injury, time, health status, self-consciousness, distance, weather, and safety concerns. Findings suggested that outdoor recreation may support perceived well-being during menopause while highlighting the need for accessible, flexible, safe, and menopause-inclusive recreation opportunities. Future longitudinal and intervention-based research was recommended to determine whether outdoor recreation produces measurable changes in menopausal symptoms.