• Health Promoting Behaviors and its association with demographic characteristics in Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study
  • Armin Aslani,1,* Azita fathnezhad Kazemi,2 Sepideh hajian,3
    1. Medical student, Student Research Committee, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz branch, Tabriz, Iran.
    2. Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Islamic Azad University of Tabriz, Tabriz,
    3. Associate Professor, Department of Midwifery & Reproductive Health, Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran


  • Introduction: Health-promoting lifestyle is important in achieving the desired outcomes of pregnancy and adopting such behaviors is effective in the future health of the mother and the child so implement the health promotion behaviors is one of the most important determinants of health status. The aim of this study was to evaluate the adoption of health promotion behaviors in pregnant women.
  • Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conducted in Tabriz in 2017. 180 pregnant women were enrolled in based on a multistage cluster sampling. The data were collected with the self-report method, using a demographic and obstetric check least and Health Promotion Behaviors (HPLPII) questionnaire, SPSS Ver. 21 was used for data analysis.
  • Results: The mean (SD) of health-promoting lifestyle among pregnant women was 137.51 (19.33). Among the different dimensions of the health-promoting behaviors the highest means were in self-actualization 27/35(4/84) and nutrition 26/60 (4/09) and the lowest scores related to stress management dimensions 20/03(3/56) and physical activity 17/08(4/11). Analysis of ANOVA revealed a significant relationship between health promotion behaviors and income status of the subjects(p=0/001).
  • Conclusion: Based on the results, levels of health-promoting behaviors in pregnant women were moderate. Health promotion and healthy lifestyle need to be an integral part of health services provided for pregnant women and how to manage stress and physical activity in pregnant women require special attention and because of the impact of some demographic characteristics on the health-promoting lifestyles, health planners and health service providers should pay attention to these points.
  • Keywords: Lifestyle, Health Promotion, Pregnancy