Predictors of health practices among a group of Iranian adolescent pregnant women: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: The health practices of pregnant women can affect maternal and fetal health, and pregnancy outcomes. Understanding the predictors of health practices in adolescent pregnant women can help improve these practices. The present study aimed to determine the predictors of health practices in adolescent pregnant women. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 316 adolescent pregnant women in health centers of Tehran (capital of Iran). The participants were selected through the census method. The data were collected using the socio-demographic, obstetrics and health practices questionnaires and analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and general linear model. Results: The mean score of health practice was 135.29 ± 9.08, ranging from 34 to 170. The highest and the lowest mean score pertained to the avoidance of harmful drugs and opiates subscale (29.79) and the balance of rest and exercise subscale (13.15), respectively. The general linear model showed that a lower level of education, a history of abortion, lack of involvement in pre-pregnancy counseling, and delayed attendance for prenatal care, reduced the health practice score. However, high level of emotional support from the spouse increased the health practice score. Conclusions: The findings highlighted the factors effective on health practices including involvement in pre-pregnancy counseling, early prenatal care and emotional support for the adolescent pregnant woman.