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Health practices and anxiety in low-income, high and low-risk pregnant women
1School of Nursing, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912.
Objective:
To evaluate anxiety and health-protective and health-promoting behaviors in low- and high-risk, low-income pregnant women.
Design:
Nonrandomized descriptive study.
Setting:
Low- and high-risk prenatal clinics at a tertiary-care center.
Participants:
Sixty-five black and white low-income women between 20 and 41 weeks of pregnancy.
Main Outcome Measures:
Anxiety and health-promoting behavior.
Results:
No significant differences were found in anxiety levels. A significant difference was found between the two groups in overall Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) scores. Women in the low-risk group scored higher on all HPLP subscales, with significant differences on self-actualization and health responsibility.
Conclusion:
Findings support the need for nurses to assess high-risk pregnant women for their health practices during pregnancy. Although a major focus on nursing care during pregnancy is teaching the promotion of health, only limited research exists on the effectiveness of such interventions.