Health-Promoting Lifestyle Behavior and Its Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Debre Markos City, Northwest Ethiopia
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Loading... - David Duah
- 19 Dec 2024
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Promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy is essential for reducing pregnancy-related complications that can adversely affect both women and their fetuses. Despite the importance of this issue, there is a scarcity of studies assessing the levels of health-promoting lifestyle behaviors among pregnant women in Ethiopia. This study aims to evaluate the extent of health-promoting lifestyle behaviors and identify associated factors among pregnant women attending public health institutions in Debre Markos City, Northwest Ethiopia.
An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 19 to May 19, 2021, involving 275 pregnant women who were recruited using a systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25, and multivariable binary logistic regression was employed to identify factors associated with health-promoting lifestyle behaviors. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to measure the strength of associations, with a significance level set at a p-value of less than 0.05.
The average mean score for health-promoting lifestyle behavior among the participants was 2.68 (±0.38). The study identified several significant factors influencing health-promoting lifestyle behaviors during pregnancy:
- Rural Residency: Women living in rural areas were less likely to engage in health-promoting behaviors (AOR = 0.29; 95% CI = (0.10-0.82)).
- Family Size: Women from families with five or more members were also less likely to adopt healthy behaviors (AOR = 0.25; 95% CI = (0.08-0.79)).
- Economic Decision-Making: Women who were the primary decision-makers for economic expenses were less likely to engage in health-promoting behaviors (AOR = 0.34; 95% CI = (0.14–0.84)).
- Average Monthly Income: A lower average monthly income was significantly associated with poorer health-promoting lifestyle behaviors (AOR = 0.15; 95% CI = (0.04–0.59)).
The findings indicate that approximately two-thirds of the participants exhibited better health-promoting lifestyle behaviors during their pregnancy. To mitigate unhealthy lifestyle-related maternal morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia, it is crucial to promote health-enhancing activities through health education and antenatal care. Special emphasis should be placed on women residing in rural areas, those from larger families, those with lower income levels, and those whose husbands are the primary decision-makers regarding economic expenses. By addressing these factors, health interventions can be tailored to improve the overall health and well-being of pregnant women in Ethiopia.
