Health promoting lifestyles and related factors in pregnant women.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to explore health promoting lifestyles and related factors in pregnant women. METHODS This was a descriptive study using convenience sampling. Altogether, 172 pregnant women were recruited from a medical center in southern Taiwan. Personal data was collected, and the instruments used included perceived health status, self-efficacy of health behaviors, perception of family or peers' health-promoting behaviors, and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP Pi). RESULTS The results showed that the standardized total score of health promoting lifestyles was 66.88 (moderate level). The subscales of the HPLP Pi in descending order of standardized scores were as follows: "interpersonal relationships," "health responsibility," "psychological wellness," "nutrition," "stress management" and "physical activity." There were significant differences in the total scores of the HPLP Pi among subjects with different educational level, socioeconomic status, chronic diseases, exercise habits, length of sleep, and perceived health status. Both perception of health-promoting behaviors among family (or peers) and self-efficacy of health behaviors had significantly positive relationships with health-promoting lifestyles. Perception of the family or peers' health-promoting behaviors, self-efficacy of health behaviors, perceived health status and chronic diseases were the four significant predictors of health-promoting lifestyles, accounting for 62.4% of the variance. CONCLUSION The findings of this study could be used as a reference for prenatal care, nursing education, and maternal / neonatal health policies.