Investigating the association of the lifestyle of pregnant women with the rate of preterm labor

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction: From a long time ago, preterm birth has posed life-threatening risks due to the significant complications it causes. The present study aimed to examine how the lifestyle of pregnant women is related to the incidence of preterm birth. Materials and Methods: For this cohort study, a total of 234 individuals with healthy and unhealthy lifestyles who visited the women’s clinics of Azad University hospitals during the year 2021 were randomly selected to participate. Four criteria were utilized to build lifestyle questionnaires, which included smoking habits, physical activity levels, consumption of high-fiber foods, and sufficient sleep. According to the individuals’ responses, 117 mothers who scored above 14, and 117 mothers who scored below 14 were followed up. The SPSS version 25 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill., USA) was used to analyze the correlation between variables and preterm birth, employing statistical tests such as Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, and independent t-test. Results: In this study, the mean age of the examined women was 27.11 ± 3.19. Out of the total number of babies, 133 (56.8%) were females, while 101 (43.2%) were males. The P value for the association between lifestyle and preterm birth was less than 0.0001, indicating statistical significance. The difference between the consumption of tobacco, fruits, and vegetables and sufficient sleep with preterm birth was not statistically significant (P value >0.05). Conclusion: A healthy lifestyle can serve as an important preventive measure against preterm birth. Adequate education provided by the healthcare and treatment system plays an important role in promoting the adoption of a healthy lifestyle and benefiting from its positive outcomes.