The mothers’ lifestyle status in Zanjan Province

Abstract

Background & Objective: Lifestyle is an important factor in determining family and community health. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the status of mothers’ lifestyle in Zanjan province, Iran. Materials & Methods: The study is part of a national cross-sectional project implemented by the National Institute for Medical Research Development (NIMAD) in Iran. This study used multi-stage cluster sampling and included 1039 mothers from Zanjan province in 2015-2016. The data gathering tools were the lifestyle questionnaire (LSQ) and a demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20. Results: The results showed that the lifestyle status of 4.6% of the mothers was lower than the normal level, 89.3% at the normal level, and 6.1% was good. Mean and standard deviation of the total lifestyle of mothers was 2.01±0.31. Evaluating the mean of lifestyle components showed that the highest mean of lifestyle status in mothers in Zanjan province was related to drugs avoidance (M=2.65) and the lowest mean was related to sport and health components (M=1.44). Conclusion: The lifestyle status of the studied samples was predominantly at normal level. However, their status in such components as exercise and health, environmental health, weight control, nutrition, and physical health was not very favorable, which makes it necessary to plan more precisely in this area. Results showed that mothers living in the city had a significantly better lifestyle than those living in rural areas. Findings also indicated that mothers with a higher level of education had a better lifestyle than those with a lower level.