Effect of counselling on health-promoting lifestyle and the quality of life in Iranian middle-aged women: a randomised controlled clinical trial

BackgroundPromotion of healthy lifestyle is an important strategy. This study was conducted to determine the effects of counselling on health-promoting lifestyle and quality of life in middle-aged women.MethodsThis randomised, controlled, clinical trial was conducted on 102 middle-aged women presenting to health centers in Tabriz, Iran, in 2016-17. Using stratified blocking based on age (40-50 and 50-60 age groups) with block sizes of four and six, eligible middle-aged women were randomly allocated to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received health-promoting lifestyle counselling over three 45-min sessions. The control group received the routine care provided by health centers. The Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile- II (HPLP-II) and quality of life survey (SF-36) were completed in both group before and four and eight weeks after completion of the intervention. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test and the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).ResultsAfter adjustment for the baseline values, the repeated measures ANOVA showed that the mean scores of health-promoting lifestyle (adjusted mean difference=0.91, 95% confidence interval: 0.83 to 0.99, P<0.001) and quality of life (18.2, 15.75 to 20.66, P<0.001) were significantly higher in the intervention compared to the control group after the intervention.ConclusionCounselling can improve health-promoting lifestyle and quality of life in middle-aged women.Trial registration: IRCT2015122610324N27. Registered 4 February 2016.