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.