Effect of preconception counseling on health promoting behaviors of reproductive age women in Sari city

Background and Purpose: Prenatal health behaviors encompass different health-promoting behaviors in women of reproductive age,&nbsp;which improve physical and mental health, as well as pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of prenatal training&nbsp;on the health-promoting behaviors of the women of reproductive age. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 104 women of reproductive age in Sari city located&nbsp;in Mazandaran, Iran. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. Inclusion criteria were willingness&nbsp;to have children, age range of 18-40 years, and overall physical and mental health. Data were collected using sociodemographic&nbsp;questionnaires and standard health promoting lifestyle (HPLP-II) questionnaire. In the intervention group, training was performed in&nbsp;four sessions (45-60 minutes) at one-week intervals focusing on health responsibility, physical activity and stress management. One&nbsp;month after the intervention, data analysis was performed using independent T-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Chisquare&nbsp;test, and mean, frequency, and standard deviation. Results: After prenatal training, total score of health-promoting behaviors had a significant difference in the intervention and control&nbsp;group (151.60&plusmn;17.503 vs. 139.42&plusmn;19.596) (P=0.002). Mean score of health responsibility (27.75&plusmn;4.066), physical activity (21.10&plusmn;3.211)&nbsp;and stress management (23.19&plusmn;3.036) were higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (23.90&plusmn;5.032, 16.84&plusmn;4.017&nbsp;and 19.66&plusmn;3.330, respectively), and the study groups had a statistically significant difference in this regard (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, prenatal training could enhance health-promoting behaviors in women of reproductive&nbsp;age. Therefore, it is recommended that consultation and training sessions be considered during prenatal care