Health-Promoting Lifestyle and its Predictors in Women Under the Chemotherapy for Reproductive System Cancers

Introduction Cancer is one of the major causes of death all over the world (1). Gynecologic cancers which affect the ovaries, uterus, cervix, vulva, and vagina, are common in women and cause 10% to 15% of cancers in them (2). Gynecologic cancers are the cause of 25% of all new cancers diagnosed in women up to 65 years of age in developing countries compared to developed countries where gynecologic cancers comprise 16% of cancers in women (3). Cancer and the resulting suffering are among the bitterest human experiences. With the progress of the disease, patients are exposed to a variety of agonies. Physical changes may occur following cancers, and various physical effects of cancer can also affect the psychological and social aspects of patients’ life (4). One of the most important challenging risk factors for many cancers is lifestyle and includes appropriate diet, regular exercise, and staying away from pathogenic substances, and can affect human health. In other words, lifestyle may influence the health either positively or negatively. Lifestyle as a psychological variable plays an important role in individuals’ physical and mental health(5). However, it is disturbed in cases of gynecologic cancers, and hence influences the patients’ sexual issues, patients’ body image, and fertility potential, and causes severe emotional disturbances, anxiety, and behavioral disorders (6). The health-promoting lifestyle can be considered multidimensional, as it encompasses several aspects of individuals’ daily life, including eating habits, leisure activities, the frequency of smoking, regular exercise, stress management, and health (7). The healthpromoting lifestyle is self-initiated, continues with daily constant activities, and is accompanied with the aim of promoting their well-being (8). Participation in the health-promoting lifestyle is one of the main dimensions of health improvement and is considered an important contributor to disease prevention. Changing the unhealthy lifestyle behaviors into healthy behaviors can prevent many diseases, including various types of cancers (7). It has been shown Abstract Objectives: Gynecologic cancers are common in women. One of the most important challenging risk factors for many cancers is lifestyle, which can affect health. This study was therefore conducted to determine the status of health-promoting lifestyle and its predictors in women under the chemotherapy for reproductive system cancers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 on 151 patients. They were undergoing chemotherapy for gynecologic cancers in oncology wards of Alzahra and Shahid Ghazi hospitals in Tabriz, Iran. The participants were selected through convenience sampling method. The sociodemographic questionnaire and healthpromoting lifestyle profile II (HPLP-II) were completed. The data were analyzed using the independent t test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariate linear regression. Results: Mean (standard deviation, SD) total score of women’s health-promoting lifestyle was 2.30 (0.38) in the score range 1-4. The highest mean (SD) score pertained to nutrition subscale (2.50 ± 0.49), and the lowest mean (SD) score pertained to physical activity subscale (2.10 ± 0.50). The predictors of lifestyle included age, income level, number of pregnancies, marital problems, number of children, and family history of gynecologic cancers. Conclusions: The data analysis showed that the mean score of the health-promoting lifestyle was average. It appears necessary to use health education and promotion programs emphasizing the health-promoting behaviors and their determinants.