Living behaviors and hygienic habits during puerperium among urban and rural women

Objective To examine living behaviors and hygienic habits during puerperium among urban and rural women and to study scientific puerperal behaviors for women. Methods Cluster sampling method was used to select 2 448 women giving their birth to the children in previous one year in Qingdao city and Shenxian county.Questionnaire survey was used in the investigation. Results There were many unreasonable behaviors among the women during the puerperium. Totally 2.6% of the rural women didn't get out of bed in puerperium,and the rate of rural women was higher than that of urban women(P<0.05).The average time of getting out of bed was 2.59 hours per day for rural women,which was less than that for urban women(3.35 hours,P<0.05).The rural women paid more attention to keep warmth than the urban (P<0.05).The incidence rates of no bathe,no shampoo,and no bathing feet in rural women were higher than those of the urban(52.0% vs 41.3%,49.9% vs 33.0%,and 26.6% vs 6.7%).The incidence rates of no healing physical exercises, not doing housework in the rural women were lower than those in the urban(70.2% vs 76.9% and 26.4% vs 52.4%;P< 0.05).The rates of considering visting neighhbour home and getting vantilation as taboos in puerperium in the rural wonen were higher than those in the urban but the rates of considering taking a basking or a bathe,touching cool water,and geting out of bed as taboos were lower than those in the urban women(P<0.05). Conclusion The incidence rates of unreasonable behaviors during puerperium in rural women differ from that in the urban women,but are high in both rural and urban women.Specific eduction programs are necessary to promote the health of postpartum women.