RESUMO
Factors such as weight, diet, cigarette smoking and unprescribed drug use, and also environmental pollutants affect maternal health and the birth of the healthy neonates. The aim of this study was to investigate women's lifestyle during the preconception period in Kalat, Iran. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 118 married women, who did not use any contraceptive methods in order to get pregnant, from August to March 2012, in Kalat County, Iran. The subjects were covered by Kalat medical and health centers and were selected using quota sampling method. The data were collected using a questionnaire including demographic characteristics and preconception lifestyle. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and Pearson's correlation and ANOVA tests. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean age of the subjects was 25.2 +/- 6.05 years. The most desirable and undesirable aspects of lifestyle were not using of unprescribed drugs and cigarettes [7.38 +/- 0.9] as well as lack of physical activity [3.06 +/- 1.1], respectively. There was a significant correlation between women's occupation and drug and cigarette use [P<0.049]. In addition, there was a negative correlation between the number of live births and physical activity [r=-0.291, P=0.001]. More than half of women [53.4%] had no preconception care, and only 33.9% of females who received preconception care had taken folic acid supplements regularly. Women's lifestyle was not desirable in relation to physical activity, and the majority of women had irregular consumption of folic acid supplements. It is therefore suggested to train women who have decision for pregnancy to do preconception care to take good care of her health before being pregnant