Meno-CARE: Diet and exercise during the menopause
A life stage in transition: Perimenopause can be an important time for lasting health behavior change. A digital intervention aims to support women in everyday life to adopt healthier eating habits and be more physically active.
Factsheet
- Schools involved School of Health Professions
-
Institute(s)
Nutrition and Dietetics
Institute on Ageing - Research unit(s) Gesundes Altern und Wohlbefinden
- Funding organisation SNSF
- Duration (planned) 01.04.2026 - 31.03.2030
- Head of project Dr. Karin Haas
-
Project staff
Anita Schürch
Justine Christen -
Partner
Urte Scholz, Universität ZH, Psychologisches Institut, Angewandte Sozial- und Gesundheitspsychologie
Walter Bierbauer, Uni ZH, Psychologisches Institut, Angewandte Sozial- und Gesundheitspsychologie
Petra Stute, Gynäkologische Endokrinologie und Menopausenzentrum, Univklinik für Frauenheilkunde BE - Keywords Menopause, perimenopause, dietary habits, physical activity, behavioral change, intervention mapping, participation, digital intervention, just-in-time adaptive interventions
Situation
A healthy diet and regular physical activity are key factors in preventing chronic diseases. For women between the ages of 40 and 60, these lifestyle habits become increasingly important, as many are in the perimenopausal or early postmenopausal phase—a stage of life marked by hormonal and physiological changes. During this phase of life and beyond, the risk of adverse metabolic changes (e.g., impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension, dyslipidemia) and resulting chronic diseases increases. This transitional phase can be an opportune time for behavioral changes. During this phase of life, women often engage more deeply with their own physical development, which creates opportunities for health-promoting behaviors. However, previous interventions aimed at promoting nutrition and physical activity have primarily targeted postmenopausal women or focused on symptom management. Furthermore, they often fail to adequately account for situational, automatic, and social factors in everyday life.
Course of action
The project develops and evaluates a theory- and evidence-based digital intervention to promote healthy eating and physical activity among women in perimenopause. At its core is a Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) approach, which enables situation-specific and individualized support in everyday life. Development is conducted in a participatory approach based on the Intervention Mapping Framework: Using quantitative and qualitative methods, needs, barriers, and individual and social influencing factors are analyzed and systematically integrated into a logical problem and change model. Building on this, specific behavioral and change goals are defined, and appropriate, evidence-based methods are selected to specifically influence relevant determinants. The intervention is then technically implemented and evaluated in a micro-randomized study in real-life settings to examine its effectiveness in detail. Beyond the digital intervention, the project provides practice-relevant insights and evidence-based recommendations for health promotion and prevention during perimenopause through comprehensive needs analysis and the structured development of models.
