Relationship of Perceived Social Support With Health-Promoting Lifestyle in Women Participating in National Breast Cancer Early Detection Program

Due to the importance of social support and healthy lifestyle, this study aims to evaluate the relationship of perceived social support with health-promoting lifestyle in women who participated in national breast cancer early detection program.

In this cross-sectional study, 1000 women participating in breast cancer early detection program in Arak, Iran were selected from 16 health centers using a convenience sampling method. Two questionnaires of Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) were completed on behalf of them. To describe the variables, mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage were used. The Pearson correlation test was used for examining the correlation between study variables. Data analysis was conducted in SPSS v. 23 software.

The mean±SD age of women was 33.78±11.30 years. There was a significant correlation between perceived social support and health-promoting lifestyle (r=0.42). Regarding HPLP dimensions, perceived social support had the highest and lowest correlation with spiritual growth (r=0.46) and physical activity (0.26) dimensions, respectively. Regarding the PSS dimensions, health-promoting lifestyle had the highest and lowest correlation with family support (r=0.40) and the support from friends (r=0.30), respectively.

There is a direct and significant relationship between perceived social support and health-promoting lifestyle in women. Therefore, by increasing their social support, it is possible to promote their healthy lifestyle.