Abstract
Several researchers have investigated the impact of menopause on American and European women. Yet there is little research that has focused on the meaning of this experience in other cultural and ethnic groups. In Thailand, although there is research concerning the physical symptomotology associated with the postmenopausal period, scant data exists on psychological stress among this cohort. Exercise is important for both stress reduction and health promotion. However, no clear consensus has been reached, suggesting the need for exploration of the relationship between exercise and psychological stress. Our purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise on stress in Thai postmenopausal women. A one-group pretest posttest design was utilized. Data were collected on 102 Thai postmenopausal women. The findings suggest that an exercise program may be a safe, simple, and cost beneficial intervention.