The effect of pregnancy life style on physical growth of post term

Neonatal growth indices are one of the important issues in the assessment and care of pregnancy which have significant effects on the life after birth. Therefore, it is important to recognize their related factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pregnant women's lifestyle and physical growth indices in newborns. This descriptive-comparative study was conducted on 412 pregnant women (mean age 28.1±5.6 years) who referred to Mahdieh Hospital in Tehran by a cross-sectional and field method. Subjects were selected by convenience sampling method. Data were collected and recorded by Lifestyle Questionnaire (LSQ) and information about the growth indices of newborns from their medical records in Tehran Mahdieh Hospital. Then, growth indices were compared with NCHS standard norm (P≤0.05). Independent and one-sample t tests and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the data. According to the results, the quality of lifestyle in pregnant women was reported to be moderate. Also, a comparison of weight and height indices showed a significant difference in the time intervals after birth in comparison with the NCHS norm (P≤0.05) which indicated that this norm was lower than the global norm in Iranian infants. On the other hand, no significant difference was observed in the head circumference (P=0.18). Considering the findings of this study on lifestyle and moderate physical activity in pregnant women, mothers are recommended to have more physical activity and to improve their nutritional quality so that they can promote their lifestyle and thereby improve the growth indices of newborns.