Impact of preconception health education on health locus of control and self-efficacy in women.

The preconception period is an ideal opportunity to optimize women's health. This study of women attending premarital clinics in the Islamic Republic of Iran aimed to evaluate the impact of a health education workshop on their health locus of control and self-efficacy in physical activity. The design was a randomized controlled trial with a questionnaire before and after the intervention. At post-intervention, there were significant increases in scores of internal health locus of control and self-efficacy in the experimental group (n = 109) compared to the control group (n = 101). It was concluded that a short-term health education may empower women to adopt healthy lifestyles.