Health Promoting Behaviors, Family support, and Quality of Marital Relationship of the Mature Gravida after 35

고령 임부의 가족지지, 부부관계의 질 및 건강증진행위

This study was performed to explore the family support. the quality of marital relationship, and health promoting behaviors of the mature gravidas. and to validate the relationship between them. From November, 1999 to June. 2000. mature gravidas older than 35(N=82) were recruited from K University Hospital located in Seoul and Kyungki Province. Korea. Data was collected using a self-rating method and semi-structured interview. The questionnaires were: Perceived Social Support from Family developed by Procidano & Heller (1983). Quality of Marital Index by Norton (1983). and Health Promoting Life-style Profile by Walker, Sechrist, & Pender (1987), Interviews were conducted using the interview guide with open-ended questions related to health concerns and health promoting behaviors. Data was analyzed using a pc-SAS program for quantitative data. The levels of the perceived family support and the quality of marital relationship were relatively high. The relationship between perceived family support and quality of marital relationship, and health promoting life-style behaviors was statistically significant. Six themes emerged as primary concerns for the mature gravidas during childbearing: 'Concerns related to the fetal wellbeing', 'Concerns related to fetal education', 'Concerns related to the maternal physical health', 'Concerns related to the maternal emotional health', 'Concerns related to safe delivery' and 'Concerns related to child-rearing'. Nursing implications for practice include expanding prenatal assessment inventories to address the concerns and support system of mature gravidas.