@2024 Afarand., IRAN

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ISSN: 2383-2150    Journal of Education and Community Health 2015;1(4):58-65

Background
…[1]. Health promoting activities and healthy lifestyle are the major strategies to preserve and facilitate health.
Previous Studies
…[2-4].Health promoting lifestyle behaviors or activities involves spiritual growth, health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, interpersonal relationships and stress management[5]. … [6-10]. The Gokyildiz et al. study showed Health promoting behaviors among pregnant women indicates the average level of health promoting behaviors.The highest score was belong to The aspect of spiritual growth and the lowest score was related to physical activity[11]. … [12-14].
Aim(s)
The study aimed to investigate health-promoting behaviors of pregnant women.
Research type
The study is a descriptive-analytic form of cross-sectional.
Research society, place and time
The study was done in the second half of 2014 among pregnant women, referring to pregnant women clinicin Imam Khomeini hospital of Saghez city.
Sampling method and number
Inclusion criteria included lack of physical disability, absence of mental illness and drug use, lack of high-risk pregnancy (having diseases such as hypertension, preeclampsia, and placentaprevia) and was tending to participate in the study. Sampling was based on convenience method. For this purpose, those who referred to the pregnant mothers’ clinic and had theentry requirement for the study were selected as cases of the study. By using Gpower software,The sample size was estimated 182 persons using power 95%,type 1 error equal to 0.05 and the effect size 0.26 that by accounting 10% risk of loss, the sample size was astimated 200 persons.Finally about 181 questionnaires were analyzed.
Used devices&materials
Data collection instrument was a two-part questionnair.In the first part of the questionnaire, pregnant women demographic information including:occupation, pregnancy profile, number of children, tending to pregnancy (intended and unintended), choice of delivery (natural or cesarean) education level of pregnant woman and her husband were obtained. In the second part of the questionnaire, health-promoting behaviors using standard instruments [Health Promotion Life Style (HPLP-II)] were studied. This tool was presented based on Pender's Health Promotion Model to determine to what extent people do health promoting behaviors.This questionnaire provides multi-dimensional assessment of health promotion behaviors.Thus, it measuers the frequency of using health promoting behaviors in six dimensions (health responsibility with 9 items, physical activity with 8 items, nutrition with 9 items, spiritual growth with 9 items, and stress management and interpersonal relationship with 8 items 9 items respectively) . This questionnaire contains 52 questions and each question has 4 responses that is scored inform of never (1)Sometimes (2) often (3) and always (4). Total score range about health promoting behaviors is between 52 and 208 for each dimension. Scoreis calculated separately for each dimension.Validity and reliability of the Persian version of relevant questionnaire in the NourooziNia et al. studyhave been considered.In this study, Cronbach's alpha for the total scale was (92%) and for six sub-scales of health promoting behaviors, the Cronbach’s alpha were 0.77, 0.81, 0.74, 0.73, 0.72, and 0.75 for health responsibility, physical activity, nutritional habits, spiritual growth, interpersonal relationship, and stress management respectively. Statistical Analysis: Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 21 software using descriptive statistics and parametric tests. Pearson correlation coefficients was used for investigating the correlation between different dimensions of health promoting behaviors, and one-way ANOVA and t-test were used to compare the mean of health promoting behaviors and their sub-scales in different levels of demographic variables.
Findings by Text
Mean and standard deviation for mother’s age was 28±5.99 years.132 persons of pregnant women (72.9%) were housewives. 50 persons of case studies were in the first trimester, 60 persons in the second trimester and 91 persons were third trimester of their pregnancy.81 cases (44.8%) of the subjects had a tendency to choose cesarean section delivery.144 (79.6%) cases of pregnancy had been intended.In terms of income levels, 34.3% were at a low level, and 65.7% were at moderate level.31persons (17%) of case studies and 33 persons` husbands (18.1%) had academic education respectively.166 persons (92.3%) of the subjects were experiencing their first pregnancy. Based on the correlation result, there was a positive correlations at 0.01 level between the health promoting behaviorsand its sub fields. In addition, the results showed that the highest and lowest scores were belonged to the realm of spiritual growth and physical activity respectively, and other areas, in order,were: nutrition, interpersonal relationships, health responsibility and stress management (Table 1). Demographic variables association with overall mean scores of health promoting behaviors is presented in Table 2. Among demographic variables, only occupation had a significant relationship with the total score mean of health promoting behaviors (p<0.032). the score of health-promoting behaviors of pregnant women in the age group 34-45year old was lower than the other two age groups although this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05).By increasing education levels, mean score of health promoting behaviors was higher than those with primary school educational level, butit wasn’t not statistically significant (p>0.05).Thetotal score mean of health promoting behaviors of the subjects(case studies) was higher with increasing spouse educational level,but it wasn’t not statistically significant (p>0.05).With the increasing number of children in pregnant women, health-promoting behaviors mean score was reduced So that the mean score of health-promoting behaviors of pregnant women who were experiencing their first pregnancy was more, but it wasn’t not statistically significant (p>0.05). The mean score of health-promoting behaviors for women who were passing third period of their pregnancy was more, but the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The mean score of health-promoting behaviors of mothers who were demanding delivery via cesarean section was higher but not statistically significantly different(p>0.05).Women who had desire to be pregnant had higher health-promoting behaviors mean score but there wasn’t not statistically significant (p>0.05).Mothers who had moderate income levels had higher health-promoting behaviors mean although the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05).
Main comparison to the similar studies
The mean score of health promoting behaviors among Turkish pregnant women in Gokyildiz studyhad been reported in medium level (126.45±21.58) that was in lower level compared to the results of this study[11]. … [15]. Total score of health promoting behaviors in this study is higher than Lin et la. Study[16].In Gharibaha et al. study, self-actualization areas had the highest score and physical activities had the the lowest score [6]. Physical activities area of the presented study is matched with other studies results [17-21]. …[22-26].The results of a study by Chen et al., also, showed that pregnant women who are employed have a better lifestyle that is aligned with the findings of our study [27].…[28]
Suggestions
It is suggested that the future studies be done using random sampling of all health centers, and using large number of samples in other ethnicities.
Limitations
Small sample size, lack of access to pregnant women who had referred to health care centers in the city as well as the lack of participation by people who couldn’t read and write were the limits of the study
Conclusions
Mean score of health promoting behaviors among pregnant women in the study population is in the average level.
Acknowledgments
All pregnant women who participated in the study and the manager of health network and dear colleauge in Mother’s Clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Saghez City are appreciated.
Conflict of interest
Non-declared
Ethical Permissions
Participants in research were explainedabout the aim of the study and confidentiality of information, and they completed the form of Informed consent.
Funding Sources
Non-declared

TABLES and CHARTS

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