The role of perceived barrier in the postpartum women’s health promoting lifestyle: A partial mediator between self-efficacy and health promoting lifestyle

In recent decades, the focuses of health studies were mostly in middle‑aged women, and few studies have investigated the lifestyle of women after delivery. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of both self‑efficacy and perceived barriers on Iranian women health‑promoting lifestyle (HPL) in the first 1 year after childbirth.

Using a cross‑sectional design, 310 women at first‑year postpartum were surveyed in Zanjan (Iran) in 2016. The proportionate stratified random sampling method was carried out to select a participant. HPL has assessed with HPL profile II questionnaire. Self‑efficacy was assessed using self‑rated abilities for health practices scale. Perceived barriers were assessed by Barriers to Health‑promoting Activities for Disabled Person scale. A meditational model was used to examine whether perceived barriers mediates between perceived self‑efficacy and HPL.

The participants mean age was 29.82 (5.1) years, 53.9% were primiparous, and most of them were homemakers (82.9%). The mean total score of HPL was 2.50 (0.29). The relationship between HPL and self‑efficacy was mediated by perceived barriers partially.

Self‑efficacy, not only promotes women’s HPL but also indirectly affect the women’s lifestyle by reducing perceived barriers.