Health Promoting Behaviors and Their Determinants in Iranian Postmenopausal Women, A Cross-Sectional Study

Adopting health-promoting behaviors (HPBs) is the main way to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Unhealthy lifestyle choices during postmenopausal period can lead to serious complications. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the status of HPBs and their individual-social factors in postmenopausal women living in Neyshabur City, Iran.

Using stratified random sampling, this cross-sectional study was performed on 300 postmenopausal women referred to Neyshabur health centers in 2022. Data was collected using demographic characteristics and HPBs questionnaires. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and analytical statistics (T-test, one-way analysis of variance, multivariate regression test) were employed, data analysis was performed by SPSS software version 22, and the significance level was considered 0.05.  

The mean (standard deviation) of the whole score of HPBs and its dimensions including interpersonal relationships, nutrition, spiritual growth, health responsibility, stress management, and physical activity were 151.5(18.6), 31.9(4.4), 28.3 (3.9), 25.6 (3.9), 25.01(5.01), 23.9(3.7), and 16.8 (4.9), respectively. The highest and the lowest mean scores of HPBs dimensions were related to interpersonal relationships and physical activity, respectively. There were significant differences in the whole score of HPBs by level of education (P= 0.002), economic status (P < .001), and spouse's education level (P= 0.002).  

According to the results of this study, postmenopausal women’s HPBs status was moderate, Thus, certain policies should be designed and conducted to promote behaviors in postmenopausal women. Also, more attention should be paid to their physical activity.