Empowering menopausal women to adopt climate-adaptive health behaviors and reduce climate-sensitive health outcomes: an IMB model-based quasi-experimental study

Ola Abdel-Wahab Afifi Araby, Nesma Abd-Elaziz Ibrahim EL Desoky, Abdelaziz Hendy, Taghreed Rasheed Aljaloud, Sahar Shafeek Mohamed Afify

Background Climate change poses increasing health risks for menopausal women. Therefore, evidence-based behavioral models are needed to enhance their knowledge, motivation, and skills to support climate-resilient health behaviors. Aim This study aimed to examine the effect of the Information–Motivation–Behavioral Skills (IMB) model on empowering menopausal women and improving perceived climate-sensitive menopausal health outcomes. Methods A quasi-experimental one-group time-series design (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up) was used. The study was conducted at the administrative building of Benha University Hospital. A purposive sample of 58 menopausal women was recruited according to inclusion criteria. Data were collected using four tools: a structured socio-demographic and environmental health awareness questionnaire, an environmental motivation scale, a climate change health protection behaviors scale, and a perceived climate-sensitive menopausal health outcomes questionnaire. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used for analysis, and effect sizes were reported using partial eta squared (η 2 p). Assumptions of normality and sphericity were assessed prior to analysis. Results The findings revealed statistically significant improvements in menopausal women’s environmental awareness, motivation, climate change health protection behaviors, and perceived menopausal health outcomes across pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up phases ( p < 0.001). Improvements were sustained at follow-up, indicating positive changes over time. Effect sizes indicated small- to large-magnitude improvements across outcomes. Conclusion The IMB model was associated with improvements in menopausal women’s awareness, motivation, and protective behaviors, as well as improvements in perceived health outcomes over time. However, due to the quasi-experimental design and absence of a control group, causal inferences cannot be established. The findings support the potential value of integrating the IMB model into nursing and multidisciplinary health education strategies, particularly in climate-vulnerable populations of menopausal women.