Socio-demographic Factors Associated with Quality of Life of Pregnant Women in Sarajevo Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The pregnancy is a special time in a woman’s life with important physical and emotional changes. These normal changes and their interactions with socio-demographic factors may affect women’s health. This consequently affects the quality of a pregnant woman’s life. The aim of the present study was to investigate the quality of life of pregnant women and its relationship with socio-demographic factors. This cross-sectional study was carried out at the Centre for Women’s Health of Canton Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The study included 150 pregnant women. The respondents were supposed to fill out a questionnaire that included questions about their socio-demographic characteristics (age, marital status, number of family members, formal education level, self-perceived financial status and number of pregnancies). The SF-36 questionnaire was used to measure the self-reported quality of life in the areas of physical and mental health. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between socio-demographic factors and self-reported physical and mental health. The pregnant women had moderate total mean scores on SF-36 scale (61.8±17.8). The pregnant women rated their mental health (MCS) better than their physical health (PCS). The mean values for the physical component summary (PCS) was 59.9±17.2 and for the mental component summary (MCS) 63.6±21.7. Younger maternal age (p=0.026), being married (p=0.000), better financial status than average (p=0.003), first pregnancy (p=0.044) were positively associated with better quality of physical health (PCS). Older maternal age (p=0.022), being married (p=0.000), better financial status than average (p=0.026), first pregnancy (p=0.025) were positively associated with a better quality of mental health (MCS). Thus, individualized assistance for the pregnant woman focusing on the sociodemographic factors provides the basis for the planning and implementation of actions aimed at improving quality of life.