Predictive Factors of Nutritional Behaviors Based on Social Cognitive Theory in Pregnant Women Referred to Health Centers in Tabriz City

Women’s nutrition during their pregnancy is considered as the key fac-tor in mother and fetus health. So the current study aims to examine predictive factors of nutritional behavior among pregnant women in Tabriz based on Social Cognitive Theory. This analytic study examined randomly in several phases 380 pregnant women who came to health and treatment centers in Tabriz in 2014. The data collection tools are standard questionnaire of nutritional behavior and structure of social cognitive (Knowledge, outcome expectations, values and outcomes, self-efficacy, social support and self-regulation) questionnaire which was done by either women or interviewed. Data was analyzed by Pearson correlation and Liner regression using SPSS-20. The average of participants was 27 years. From different structure of theory of social cogni-tive, outcome expectations (P=0.039), outcome values (P=0.046), awareness (P=0.043), self-adjusting (P=0.001), has significant meaning in suitable nutritional behavior variance among pregnant under study (P<0.05). And on the whole 16 percent of nutritional behavior variance has been predicted. In %54.5 samples consumption of bread and cereals, %73.2 consumption of meat and beans, %55.3 con-sumption of fruit, as well as in %70.5 consumption of the vegetables consumption was less than the recommended amount. It is concluded that Awareness, outcome expectation, outcome value, and self-regulation as determining factors for educational interventions planning are effective for achieving healthy nutri-tional behavior in pregnant women.