Patterns and Determinants of Preconception Health Behaviors in Iranian Women

Preconception health behaviors (PCHBs) include couples’ planning for pregnancy and changing their lifestyle to have a greater chance of fertility and desirable pregnancy outcomes. Although starting preconception care has been considered in Iran for nearly a decade, it has not received enough attention. For this reason, there is a dearth of studies in this area. The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns and determinants of PCHBs in women referred to healthcare centers in Mashhad, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 480 married women who had decided to become pregnant were selected from five different health centers in Mashhad through a multistage cluster sampling method. The data collection tool was a self-structured, valid, reliable questionnaire consisting of the three following parts: women’s demographic data, questions about knowledge and attitudes about PCHBs, and a checklist of PCHBs that were being performed. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS v16.5 with descriptive and inferential statistics, including the Pearson correlation, Chi square, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. It was found that 77.7% of women had attended preconception care (PCC) programs. About 31.7% and 68.3% of women carried out preconception and interconception care, respectively. About 39.8% of women used a folic acid supplement in the correct way. Only 6.9% of women engaged in regular physical activities. Approximately 33.1% of women had dental care; 9.8% received genetic counseling; and 33.3% carried out blood testing. There were significant relationships between attending PCC programs and using a folic acid supplement, engaging in physical activities, having blood tests, and receiving dental care and genetic counseling (P < 0.0001). There were positive correlations between knowledge score and acid folic consumption (r = -0.181, P = 0.001), physical activity (r = 0.184, P = 0.001), and fruit consumption (r = 0.126, P = 0.001), respectively. Although the majority of women had PCC records and received advice from healthcare professionals to carry out PCHBs, most of them did not adhere to the PCHB guideline recommendations. It is therefore suggested that strategies should be adopted to establish PCC services in the healthcare system and encourage clients to adhere to the PCHB guideline recommended by the ministry of health.