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,
which improve physical and mental health, as well as pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of prenatal training
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
in Mazandaran, Iran. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. Inclusion criteria were willingness
to have children, age range of 18-40 years, and overall physical and mental health. Data were collected using sociodemographic
questionnaires and standard health promoting lifestyle (HPLP-II) questionnaire. In the intervention group, training was performed in
four sessions (45-60 minutes) at one-week intervals focusing on health responsibility, physical activity and stress management. One
month after the intervention, data analysis was performed using independent T-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Chisquare
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
group (151.60±17.503 vs. 139.42±19.596) (P=0.002). Mean score of health responsibility (27.75±4.066), physical activity (21.10±3.211)
and stress management (23.19±3.036) were higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (23.90±5.032, 16.84±4.017
and 19.66±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
age. Therefore, it is recommended that consultation and training sessions be considered during prenatal care.