Exploring Preventive Behaviors of Middle-aged Women against Arthritis

Aims: Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over 50 years old. This study aims to investigate the status of preventive behaviors against arthritis in middle-aged women in order to take a small step in promoting the health of women in the community. Instruments Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 325 women aged 29-59 years referring to health centers in Birjand in 2017Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire that covered demographics and preventive behaviours items , entered into SPSS-19 and analyzed using mean and frequency distribution tests. Findings:Totally 325 women with mean age of 39.1 ± 8.4 years were studied. The majority of all women, were married and housewives (87% and 69.5% respectively). A total of 57% of the women did preventive behavior against arthritis. Furthermore, 30% of the women had regular tensile and warm-up exercise, 42% had moderate consumption of vegetables, 71% kept proper sitting posture, 60% rested after heavy work, 61% used proper flooring at home, and finally 21% moved objects in a correct manner. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, A significant proportion of women did not have favorable performance in regarding preventive behaviors of arthritis. Therefore it is suggested that in educational centers, educational classes be held to improve the behaviors of women towards arthritis prevention.