An Arabic language version of the health promotion lifestyle profile

Physical Activity Behavior and Measurement in Arab American Women: An Integrative Review

Physical activity (PA) is associated with cardiovascular health; however, in the U.S., only 20% of women are physically active, compared to 28% of men. Arab American women (AAW) experience unique barriers to engaging in the recommended PA. This review examines quantitative PA studies conducted with AAW with a specific focus on how PA outcomes were assessed. Studies were analyzed to explore: (a) types of PA behavior, (b) components of PA interventions/interest (if conducted), (c) PA measurement, and (d) translation of PA tools. After screening titles, abstracts, and a full-text review of articles from five different databases, 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. Leisure-time PA was the most readily used PA measure. Only two out of the 12 studies included women-only participants. There was a total of 10 cross-sectional studies and two quasi-experimental studies. All the studies used a self-report PA questionnaire; one study used a pedometer to measure PA. Six PA questionnaires were translated into Arabic. Future studies must explore the use of reliable and valid translated instruments, objective PA measures, and randomized controlled trial designs.

The effect of IHAPIM program on health perceptions and health responsibilities of immigrant men: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Health promotion interventions for immigrant health are generally directed toward women and youth. There is no program specific to migrant male in the global and national literature to protect, improve and promote their health. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the Increasing Health Awareness of Immigrant Men (IHAPIM) program on health perceptions, health responsibilities, perceived stress level, attitudes toward utilizing health care services and the types of coping strategies of immigrant male.

METHODS

Researchers applied the short-term IHAPIM program experimental group for 5 weeks. This study was held in the two districts where predominantly immigrants live. The immigrant male's health perceptions, health responsibilities, perceived stress level, attitudes toward utilizing health care services and the types of coping strategies measured before and after 3 months of the IHAPIM program was performed.

RESULTS

The study results showed that the levels of health perceptions, health responsibilities and the types of coping strategies of immigrant male were significantly different between the two study groups.

CONCLUSIONS

At the end of the study, the experimental group showed improvement in measures of the health perceptions, health responsibilities, attitudes toward utilizing health care services, the types of coping strategies and perceived stress level of male decreased. Nursing interventions specific to immigrant male and sensitive to their language have led to positive changes in the health variables of immigrant male.

Diet Quality as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Depression Among Family Caregivers of Patients with Chronic Illness in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this research was to investigate the correlation between caregivers' perceived stress and depression and examine the mediating role of quality of diet on this relationship.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was performed in Medical City from January to August 2022 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Utilizing the Stress Scale, Anxiety and Depression, the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II questionnaire, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, researchers assessed levels of perceived stress, diet quality, and depression. The bootstrap approach and the SPSS PROCESS macro were used to assess the importance of the mediation effect. The target population was family caregivers of patients with chronic illness at Medical City in Saudi Arabia. The researcher conveniently sampled 127 patients, with 119 responding, a response rate of 93.7%. A significant correlation between depression and perceived stress was observed (β = 0.438, p < 0.001). Diet quality mediated the relationship between depression and perceived stress (β = -0.187, p = 0.018). The importance of the indirect effect of perceived stress through diet quality was supported by the outcomes of the non-parametric bootstrapping method (95% bootstrap CI = 0.010, 0.080). The findings revealed that the indirect influence of diet quality explained 15.8% of the overall variation in depression.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings help clarify the mediating effects of diet quality on the relationship between perceived stress and depression.

Health Promoting Lifestyle Behaviors and Sleep Quality Among Saudi Postmenopausal Women

Background

One of the most effective measures regarding improving women's health is to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between health-promoting behaviors and sleep quality among a sample of Saudi menopausal women.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to collect data from 410 Saudi postmenopausal women visiting primary healthcare care centers located in Sakaka, Jouf, Saudi Arabia, using the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLPII) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Results

The mean age of the study participants was 52.60 ± 4.65 years, the study findings highlighted that among all the HPLP domains, the highest mean score was observed for spiritual growth (24.00 ± 6.60) whereas the lowest score was observed for physical activity (16.18 ± 1.8). Statistically significant negative relations between the total score of HPLP and sleep quality score and menopausal symptoms (p &lt; 0.001, p &lt; 0.005), respectively. Total scores of lifestyle, health responsibility, and stress management were significant differences between participants with good and poor sleep quality. Being overweight/obese, physically inactive, having a chronic illness and poor sleep quality were predictors influencing health-promoting behavior.

Conclusion

Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II was more obvious in the good sleeper in form of health responsibility and stress management. Being overweight and or obese, having a chronic illness, and having poor sleep quality were the significant factors influencing health-promoting behaviors. Designing and performing educational interventional plans are crucial to create motivation toward a healthy lifestyle and improve the quality of their sleep.

Health-promoting behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic among Saudi Adults: A cross-sectional study

Aims

To evaluate health‐promoting behaviour among Saudi adults in the Jazan region during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Design

Cross‐sectional study design.

Methods

Saudi adults (N = 305) completed an online survey from 23 April to 5 July 2020. The survey comprised demographic/social factors, COVID‐19 pandemic‐related factors and the Health‐Promoting Lifestyle Profile‐II.

Results

On average, participants reported participating in health‐promoting behaviour ‘sometimes’. Only years of education was associated with participation in health‐promoting behaviour generally. Nutritional behaviours were positively correlated with sex, age and having a job before and/or after the pandemic and negatively correlated with the number of people in the household. Interpersonal relationships increased with age and years of education. Interpersonal relationships and stress management decreased among those who reported that the pandemic had negatively affected their income.

Conclusion

Our results indicated that COVID‐19 factors are associated with Saudi adults' adoption of health‐promoting behaviour.

Health Promoting Behaviors, Health Needs and Associated Factors among Older Adults in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Several factors affect older adults' engagement in HPBs. This study aimed to examine HPBs, health needs, and associated factors among older adults in Jordan.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 220 older adults at one governmental and one university hospital, which were selected using convenience sampling for geographical closeness to the researchers. All older adults with no cognitive or communication problems who attended the outpatient clinics of the two hospitals from December 2018 to April 2019 were included in the study. This time period was chosen based on the convenience of the participants and researchers. Data were collected by An Arabic version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) and a demographic questionnaire. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 25.0 software was used for the descriptive and inferential analysis of the study data. The level of significance was set at P<0.05.

RESULTS

The mean score of the total HPLP was 125.33±19.09. The marital status and educational level of the participants were associated with the total HPLP (P<0.001) in all its dimensions, except for the dimension of interpersonal relations. Participants with chronic diseases had lower scores than those without diseases for the total HPLP (P<0.001) in all the six dimensions. Family income was positively correlated with the dimensions of nutrition (P=0.007) and exercise (P=0.002).

CONCLUSION

Despite the good overall mean score of older adults for total HPLP and some of its subscales, their levels of exercise and physical activity need to be promoted. The scores of older adults were related to various demographic and clinical factors.

Lifestyle behavior of budding health care professionals: A cross-sectional descriptive study

Background:

College life is a crucial period and at this age, students are more likely to get involved in unhealthy lifestyle behavior like poor dietary habits, physical inactivity, and use of substances, etc.

Objectives:

Study objectives were to determine the lifestyle behavior of budding healthcare professions and to determine the association of bio-physical profiles with their personal profile, activity, sleep, and dietary pattern.

Settings and Design:

The current study adopted a cross-sectional design and carried out during May - June 2019 among 284 participants of tertiary care institute.

Methods and Material:

Participants were selected through a proportionate stratified sampling technique. Self-structured questionnaire and Likert scale were used to assess the lifestyle behavior of participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis.

Results:

Majority of participants (70.7%) preferred junk food as a substitute of meal. Significant number (68.3%) of students did not exercise regularly and 30.9% have disturbed sleep pattern. One-third of them (34.5%) were in pre-hypertensive stage and alarming number of them having unacceptable body mass index (BMI) (24.7%) and waist hip ratio (28.5%). Increased BMI was significantly associated with male gender (P = 0.01) and sleep deprivation (P = 0.03). Significantly more male participants were hypertensive and pre-hypertensive (P = 0.001).

Conclusions:

Study data indicated that having knowledge regarding health is not enough to ensure that health professionals will follow healthy lifestyle and it is important to motivate budding health care professionals to practice healthy lifestyle with an aim of health promotion and prevention of diseases.

Relationships Between Personal Satisfaction, Cardiovascular Disease Risk, and Health Promoting Behavior Among Arab American Middle-Aged Women

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among middle-aged women. Health-promoting behavior is essential to the prevention of CVD. During middle adulthood, women experience biopsychosocial changes that may reduce personal satisfaction and affect health-promoting behavior and CVD risk.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the impact of personal satisfaction on health-promoting behavior and CVD risk in middle-aged Arab American women.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 114 middle-aged Arab American women was recruited from 2 clinical sites in Michigan in the United States. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and a single item assessing health satisfaction. Risk for CVD was calculated using the 10-year atherosclerotic CVD Risk Estimator.

RESULTS

Health-promoting behavior was significantly correlated with self-satisfaction (r = 0.54, P < .0001), health satisfaction (r = 0.45, P < .0001), and life satisfaction (r = 0.41, P < .0001). Risk for CVD was significantly negatively correlated with self-satisfaction (r = -0.17, P = .039), health satisfaction (r = -0.18, P = .029), and life satisfaction (r = -0.27, P = .002). Self-satisfaction and health satisfaction accounted for 32% of the variance in health-promoting behavior (F = 7.568, P < .0001). Age and life satisfaction accounted for 50% of the variance in CVD risk score (F = 58.28, P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Personal satisfaction was associated with health-promoting behavior and CVD risk. Future research would benefit from the inclusion of longitudinal data and comparative groups.

Applicability of health promoting lifestyle profile-II for postmenopausal women in Sri Lanka; a validation study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II), developed in the West, evaluates 52 health promoting behaviors (HPB) under six subscales. In this study we evaluated the applicability of HPLP-II to assess the HPB of postmenopausal women (PMW) conversant in the Sinhala language in Sri Lanka.

METHODS

The Sinhala version of HPLP-II was adapted following standard methodology of cross cultural adaptation. It included forward and backward translations, review by an expert group, focus group discussion and pre-testing. It was self-administered among randomly selected healthy, Sinhalese, community-dwelling PMW (n = 245, aged 55.9 ± 3.4 years), along with the Short Form 36 (SF-36) survey. The Sinhala version of HPLP-II was re-administered among a subsample (n = 105) after two weeks of first administration. Psychometric properties - reliability and validity, were evaluated.

RESULTS

In the Sinhala version of HPLP-II, both internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.98) and test-retest reliability (intra class correlation / ICC = 0.98, 95%CI = 0.97-0.99) were high. Structural validity assessment with Factor analysis using Principal Component Analysis extracted seven factors explaining 80.65% cumulative variance with few exceptions from the original version. Health responsibility (HR) and spiritual growth (SG) subscales of HPLP-II and physical and psychological health dimensions scores of SF-36 scores correlated significantly (r > 0.63, p < 0.001) ensuring strong concurrent validity.

CONCLUSIONS

The Sinhala version of HPLP-II adapted by us is a tool with high reliability and validity.

Comparison of health-promoting lifestyle behaviours between female students majoring in healthcare and non-healthcare fields in KSA

Objective

University students are considered to be at a critical stage of their lives. As members of the young generation, they tend to adopt unhealthy behaviours. These behaviours can adversely impact their health. Level of health promotion is a significant determinant of health status. This study compared healthy lifestyle habits of female university students enrolled in health-related (previously published) and non-health-related (present study) programmes in the KSA to identify variations and associations between such habits and demographic characteristics.

Methods

A cross-sectional study, using the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II) questionnaire, was conducted on third- and fourth-year non-health profession female students (n = 411). The data were compared with previously published data on female health profession students (n = 249).

Results

A low overall HPLP-II score of 2.39 ± .358 with significant variation between the two groups was observed (p < .05). Significant correlations (p < .05) were found between the total and domain scores by demographic variables. The non-health group had significantly more frequent engagement in physical activity than the health group, who showed better health responsibility, spiritual growth, and interpersonal relation practices. Decline of spiritual growth in non-health group and poor stress management in health group were also found.

Conclusions

Low overall HPLP-II scores in both groups, with the highest mean score in spiritual growth and lowest in physical health, reflect the current attitude of the young generation. The introduction of a ‘wellbeing and health curriculum’ with adequate support from the physical environment and a culture that promotes physical wellbeing is needed.

Factors Affecting Health-Promoting Lifestyle Behaviors Among Arab American Women

Introduction: An estimated 3.6 million Arab Americans live in the United States. Limited studies have addressed Arab American women's health needs. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between personal factors (sociodemographic factors, degree of acculturation, psychological stress), health self-efficacy, social support, and health-promoting lifestyle behaviors among Arab American women in California. Method: A cross-sectional, correlational survey study involved 267 women. The survey assessed women's personal factors, health self-efficacy, social support, and health promotion behaviors. Results: Age, education, orientation to American culture, psychological stress, health self-efficacy, and social support were strongly correlated with health promotion behaviors and explained 46% of its variance among participants, F(18, 248) = 10.657, p = .000, R² = .46. Discussion: Participants scored low on both the physical activity and stress management of the health promotion subscales. Culturally sensitive interventions are needed to improve engagement in health promotion behaviors among these women.

Psychometric properties of the health-promoting lifestyle profile II: cross-cultural validation of the Malay language version

BACKGROUND

Health-promoting behaviour is an important concept for health education. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of validated instruments to measure levels of health-promoting behaviour in the Malaysian context. The purpose of this study was to validate a Malay-language version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II) using a confirmatory approach.

METHODS

Participants were 997 university undergraduate students, with a mean age of 21 years (SD = 1.58). The majority of the participants (80.4%) were female. Health-promoting behaviour was assessed using the 52-item HPLP-II, which measures six components of health-promoting behaviour outcomes. HPLP-II was translated into the Malay language using standard forward and backward translation procedures. Participants then completed the HPLP-II Malay version (HPLP-II-M). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using Mplus 8.0 software on the six domains of HPLP-II-M model.

RESULTS

The CFA result based on the hypothesised measurement model of six factors was aligned with the original HPLP-II, except for two low loading items which were subsequently removed from the CFA analysis. The final CFA measurement model with 50 items resulted in a good fit to the data based on RMSEA and SRMR fit indices (RMSEA = 0.046, 90%CI = 0.045, 0.048, SRMR = 0.062). The construct reliabilities for the HPLP-II-M subscales were acceptable, ranging from 0.737 to 0.878.

CONCLUSION

The HPLP-II-M with six components of health-promoting behaviour outcomes and 50 items was considered valid and reliable for the present Malaysian sample.

The Relationship Between Lifestyle, Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile II And High Blood Pressure In University Students

BACKGROUND

Identifying and controlling systemic arterial blood pressure is important in young people, and it is possible to reduce the frequency of systemic arterial hypertension by improving the lifestyle.

AIM

The aim of the study is to assess the relationship between healthy lifestyle behaviors and systemic blood pressure in university students.

MATERIALS

The study sample consisted of 200 university students from a state university in Edirne. Lifestyles and habits were evaluated with Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile II. Students' blood pressure was measured from both arms twice.

RESULTS

The mean HPLP-II score of those who frequently feel good was significantly higher than those who rarely feel good. The mean score of those who frequently wake up between 06:00-09:00 in the morning was statistically significantly higher than those who wake up outside these hours. Those who perform social or artistic activities during their leisure times had a mean scale score higher than those who don't perform. Although there wasn't a statistically significant difference according to smoking status, the mean score of non-smokers was higher than smokers. The mean scale scores were higher in frequent salt users than non-frequent users; participants with low saturated fatty acid intake had higher scores than those with high intake, and rare fast food consumers had higher scores than frequent consumers. The statistically significant difference between blood pressure values of females and males was due to higher blood pressure in male students. Those working in a part-time job had higher blood pressure values than those who weren't working. Among the students whose body mass indexes could be evaluated, there were differences in blood pressure values.

CONCLUSION

It has been observed in our study that health-related responsibilities and lifestyle behaviours increase with better leisure time activities, improved eating habits and a positive outlook on life. Turning youngs' tendencies towards healthy lifestyle behaviours to habits can make them healthier, more collective and more productive regarding physical, social and psychological well-being.

Health promoting lifestyle of university students in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional assessment

Background

College is a critical time where students are more prone to engage in risky health behaviors known to negatively affect well-being, such as physical inactivity, stress, and poor dietary habits. A health promoting lifestyle is an important determinant of health status and is recognized as a major factor for the maintenance and improvement of health. This study was designed to assess the health-promoting lifestyle of students in health colleges and non-health colleges in Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A total of 1656 students participated in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Data gathering was conducted from November 2016 to February 2017 at King Saud University. Participating students completed a self-reported questionnaire that included questions regarding their demographic characteristics and their health-promoting behaviors.

Results

The majority of participants were females (70.4%), 20% of the participants were overweight and 11.3%, were obese. The analysis showed that there was a significant difference between health colleges and non-health colleges with regards to the factor of health responsibility. Students at both schools were found to have an inadequate level of adherence to recommendations regarding physical activity and healthy eating habits. The analysis also found that majority of the students in both colleges do not attend educational programs on health care. The model shows that gender, type of college, year in school, and family structure were significant predictors of the health lifestyle of students in Saudi Arabia.

Conclusion

The results of the current study indicate that university students are leading unhealthy lives, where the majority of them have unhealthy eating habits and poor physical activity level. Universities are ideal settings for implementing health promotion programs. Therefore, planning and implementing programs to motivate students to be more responsible for their own health, to engage more in physical activity, and to practice healthy eating habits and other forms of wellness are of paramount importance.

Validity and Reliability of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II in the Iranian Elderly

Background:

With increasing age, the prevalence of chronic diseases increases. Since health-promoting behaviors (HPB) are considered a basic way of preventing diseases, especially chronic diseases, it is important to assess HPB. This study examines the validity and reliability of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II).

Methods:

This is a cross-sectional study which is conducted on 502 elderly individuals aged 60 and over in Tehran, Iran. In order to determine the validity, content and construct validity were used. The content validity index (CVI) was used to assess the content validity and to assess construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and item-total correlations were employed. For reliability, test-retest analysis was used, and the internal consistency of the HPLP-II was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha. For data analysis, SPSS-18 and Amos-7 software was used.

Results:

The mean age of the subjects was 66.3 ± 5.3 years. The CVI for the revised HPLP-II and all its subscales was higher than 0.82. The CFA confirmed a six-factor model aligned with the original HPLP-II. Pearson correlation coefficients between the revised HPLP-II and their items were in range of 0.27–0.65. Cronbach's alpha of the revised HPLP-II was obtained as 0.78 and for their subscales were in the range of 0.67–0.84. Intraclass correlation coefficient was obtained 0.79 (95% confidence interval: 0.59–0.86, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

The Iranian HPLP-II scale is an appropriate tool for assessing HPBs of the Iranian elderly.

Development and preliminary testing of an instrument to measure healthiness of lifestyle among breast cancer survivors

Monitoring lifestyle to maintain health is an important issue for breast cancer survivors. No multidimensional instrument has previously been available specifically for assessing overall healthiness of lifestyle among breast cancer survivors. This study aims (i) to establish the Healthy Lifestyle Instrument for Breast Cancer Survivors (HLI-BCS) and (ii) to examine the reliability and validity of the established scale. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used. This project was conducted in four phases. In phase I, using the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile as the core concept, we created 50 preliminary measurement items. In phase II, we invited 10 breast cancer survivors and five professional experts to conduct a content validity assessment. In phases III and IV, a total of 220 breast cancer survivors were enrolled to assess the construct validity and the internal consistency and reliability. The final HLI-BCS contains 20 items across five domains: dietary habits, environment and physiology, health responsibility and stress management, social and interpersonal relations and spiritual growth. Through the information presented in the HLI-BCS, breast cancer survivors can assess their lifestyles on multiple dimensions and subsequently adjust their lifestyles to enhance their recovery and quality of life.

Health promotion lifestyle profile-II: Chinese version short form

AIM

This paper is a report of an examination of the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile.

BACKGROUND

The Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile, a well-known instrument measuring health promotion lifestyle behaviours and developed by Walker in 1987 and later refined, has been translated into several languages. The original Chinese translated version, based on Walker's 48-item 1987 version, detected six dimensions of health promotion lifestyle behaviours. The 52-item revised Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile-II has not been tested for Mandarin-speakers.

METHOD

After the English version of the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile-II was translated into Chinese using established forward-backward translation procedures, the psychometric properties of the translated version were determined with 331 Taiwanese Mandarin-speaking adults. Data were collected from August 2007 to July 2008 at outpatient clinics for health screening in Southern Taiwan. The psychometric properties of the instrument were evaluated, including the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, item analysis and factor analysis.

RESULTS

Neither Walker's original 6-factor model nor a forced 6-factor solution of the 52 items of the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile-II was supported. Parallel analysis suggested that five factors be retained, with the 5-factor solution statistically and conceptually satisfactory. The 5-factor Chinese version of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile explained 53% of the variance in healthy lifestyles. Thirty items were retained for the Chinese version of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile.

DISCUSSION

Deletion of 22 items from the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile-II did not impair the ability of the Chinese version of the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile to measure a healthy lifestyle among a sample of Taiwanese adults. The data support the fact that lifestyle is influenced by culture.

Depression and health-promoting lifestyles of persons with mental illnesses

This descriptive study examined relationships between depression, health-promoting lifestyles, and physical illnesses in a sample of persons living in the community who self-reported being diagnosed with mental illnesses. Variables of age, gender, and participation in psychiatric rehabilitation services were investigated to determine significant relationships to depression and lifestyles. Fifty adults completed a demographic survey, the CES-Depression scale, and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. The findings emphasize the importance of psychiatric nurses assessing health-promoting lifestyles comprehensively in persons with serious mental illnesses and facilitating changes to improve both physical and mental health.

Lifestyle practices of Jordanian pregnant women

BACKGROUND

Although many improvements have been made in the area of women's health in Jordan, women during pregnancy still face many health problems that put their lives at risk. This is evident in the relatively high Maternal Mortality Rate, anaemia, low birth weight and other problems related to their lifestyle practices during pregnancy (Jordanian Ministry of Health 1998).

PURPOSE

To describe the health-promoting lifestyle behaviours of Jordanian pregnant women. The Maternal Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (MHPLP), based on the Health Promotion Model, was modified to measure maternal practices. A representative sample of 400 Jordanian pregnant women in their 20th week of gestation or beyond were recruited from five public Maternal and Child Health Centres in the city of Irbid, in the northern part of Jordan. The MHPLP measures six dimensions: physical activity, stress management, self-actualization, nutrition, health responsibility and interpersonal support. Data were analysed by using descriptive analysis.

RESULTS

The women reported high scores on health responsibility and self-actualization, moderate scores on interpersonal support and nutrition, and low scores on physical activity and stress management behaviours. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE AND RESEARCH: The findings have implications for the quality of care delivered through the maternal and child health services. Health promotion and healthy lifestyle need to be an integral part of health services provided for pregnant women. Further research is needed to develop an instrument that integrates the cultural beliefs relating to lifestyle practices of Jordanian pregnant women mainly in the areas of physical activities and stress management. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.

A Comparison of Health Practices of Canadian and Jordanian Nursing Students

The purpose of this study was to compare health-promoting practices of Canadian (n = 49) and Jordanian (n = 44) first-year nursing students using the revised Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Results indicated significant differences between the groups on three subscales: health responsibility, physical activity, and interpersonal relations; however, both groups had similarly low scores. Implications for nurse educators are discussed from both curricular and cross-cultural perspective that focuses on health-promotion activities and programs.