Healthy habits in adult women and mothers

Introduction. According to World Health Organization, raised body mass index (BMI) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and some cancers. Some protective factors have been associated with healthy weight, such as consumption of fruit, vegetables, and a reduced consumption of processed food or junk food. Moreover, some of these factors (such as consumption of vegetables) might have a positive relationship between parentsand children. Thus, it is necessaryto evaluate healthy habits on mothers ofschool-aged children. Objective. To define healthy habits on mothers, and its potential relationship with weight. Methods. An exploratory analysis about healthy habits and its relationship with BMI was carried out in a cross-sectional study. Our sample consisted on 100 mothers with an average age of 43.07 (5.09). We used a brief version of the Self-efficacy in health care scale. Results. Pearson’s correlations showed no relationships between unhealthy habits of health care and normal or overweight. However, our results showed a significant relationship between healthy habits on health care and normal weight (r = .290, p.01) and overweight (r = - .249, p.05). Conclusions. Our results suggest that healthy habits might be considered as a protective factor against overweight in mothers of school-aged children.