Baseline characteristics of North Korean women refugees according to menopausal status
| NORNS | KUMC | |||||
| All‡ | Premenopausal | Postmenopausal | All‡ | Premenopausal | Postmenopausal | |
| Total cases, n (%) | 122 | 70 (57.4) | 52 (42.6) | 366 | 210 (57.4) | 156 (42.6) |
| Age, median (years, IQR) | 46.0 (40.0–60.0) | 41.0 (37.0–44.0) | 62.5 (55.0–68.5) | 46.0 (40.0–60.0) | 41.0 (37.0–44.0) | 62.5 (55.0–68.5) |
| Height (mean±SD), cm | 154.2±4.7 | 155.0±4.4 | 153.1±4.8 | 158.8±5.8 | 161.0±5.2* | 155.8±5.3† |
| Body weight (mean±SD), kg | 55.2±7.4 | 53.2±6.7 | 57.8±7.5 | 57.5±8.4 | 58.0±9.4* | 56.7±6.8 |
| BMI (mean±SD), kg/m2 | 23.3±3.0 | 22.1±2.3 | 24.9±3.2 | 22.8±3.2 | 22.4±3.4 | 23.4±2.8† |
| Age at menarche, median (years, IQR) (n=111)§ | 17.0 (15.0–18.0) | 16.0 (15.0–18.0) | 17.0 (16.0–19.0) | 14.0 (13.0–15.0) | 14.0 (13.0–14.0)* | 15.0 (14.0–17.0)† |
| Age at menopause (mean±SD), years (n=43)§ | 49.2±4.0 | ㅡ | 49.2±4.0 | 50.6±4.3 | ㅡ | 50.6±4.3 |
| Alcohol, n (%) | ||||||
| Never drinker | 43 (37.4) | 14 (20.6) | 29 (61.7) | 167 (46.0) | 61 (29.0) | 106 (69.3) |
| Ex-drinker/current drinker | 72 (62.6) | 54 (79.4) | 18 (38.3) | 196 (54.0) | 149 (71.0) | 47 (30.7) |
| Smoking, n (%) | ||||||
| Never smoker | 103 (98.1) | 65 (100.0) | 38 (95.0) | 326 (91.8) | 186 (89.4)* | 139 (95.2) |
| Ex-smoker/current smoker | 2 (1.9) | 0 | 2 (5.0) | 29 (8.2) | 22 (10.6)* | 7 (4.9) |
| Physical activity, n (%) | ||||||
| Never | 60 (56.6) | 38 (56.7) | 22 (56.4) | 157 (43.7) | 104 (50.7)* | 53 (34.4)† |
| <5 hours/week | 37 (34.9) | 26 (38.8) | 11 (28.2) | 117 (32.6) | 64 (31.2)* | 53 (34.4)† |
| ≥5 hours/week | 9 (8.5) | 3 (4.5) | 6 (15.4) | 85 (23.7) | 37 (18.0)* | 48 (31.2)† |
| OCP use, n (%) (n=110)§ | 17 (15.5) | 16 (24.6) | 1 (2.2) | 55 (15.9) | 18 (9.0)* | 37 (25.0)† |
| No of pregnancies, median (IQR) (n=117)§ | 3.0 (2.0–4.0) | 2.0 (1.0–3.0) | 3.0 (2.0–4.0) | 2.0 (1.0–2.0) | 2.0 (1.0–2.0)* | 2.0 (2.0–3.0)† |
| Age at escape from North Korea, (mean±SD), (min-max), years | 37.9±13.5 (17.0–69.0) | 28.43±6.2 (17.0–40.0) | 51.0±9.2 (35.0–69.0) | ㅡ | ||
| Duration of living in South Korea, median (IQR), years | 6.2 (4.2–9.0) | 5.3 (4.1–8.0) | 7.3 (4.2–9.1) | ㅡ | ||
*P<0.05 compared with NORNS premenopausal women.
†P<0.05 compared with NORNS postmenopausal women.
‡Valid percentages were displayed in categorical variables.
§Available data number were described.
BMI, body mass index; KUMC, Korea University Medical Center; NORNS, North Korea Refugee Health in South Korea; OCP, contraceptive pill.