Lifestyle during puerperium and its influencing factors in postpartum women of Wuhan

Objective To explore the lifestyle during the puerperium and to identify its influencing factors in postpartum women of Wuhan city,Hubei province.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Wuhan from March to July,2010.A total of 454 women giving birth to live-born infants in the previous one year in Hubei Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital were recruited by cluster random sampling.Data regarding postpartum practices and potentially related factors were collected through a questionnaire survey by trained interviewers.Results Of the womem,16.1% didn't get out of the bed two days after giving the birth,55.1% didn't have any outdoor activities,88.1% didn't do any housework,and 45.4% had significant weight gain during the puerperium.The results of Chi-square test showed that there was a significant difference in getting out of the bed two days after giving the birth between the women delivered by cesarean section and noncesarean section(P < 0.01).Compared to that of non-cesarean section(38.4%),the proportion of the women with cesarean section getting out of the bed two days after giving the birth was only 5.5%.There were significant differences in opening the window,going out of the bed,doing post-natal exercises,and having outdoor activities between women with and without nutrition education(P < 0.01).The proportion of opening the window,going out of the bed,doing post-natal exercises,and having outdoor activities were 83.7%,86.0%,85.3%,and 58.7%,respectively,among the women who received nutrition education,whereas the proportions among the women without nutrition education were 71.1%,68.0%,64.6%,and 39.1%.Conclusion There are many taboos in women's health behaviors during puerperium.Those taboos may have direct or indirect relation to the health of the women in puerperium,or even have effects on postnatal quality of life.It is necessary to change the traditional and unscientific practices through carrying out nutrition education among postpartum women.