Background and purpose: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 17 million deaths annually. Poor lifestyle is one of the factors influencing the incidence of some cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery stenosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between health promoting behaviors and severity of coronary artery stenosis among patients in angiography department in Mazandaran Heart Center, Iran.

Materials and methods: A descriptive analytical study was performed in 184 patients candidate for angiography. According to angiography, patients were divided into two groups: the arterial stenosis above 50% (n=92) and arterial stenosis less than 50% (n=92). Patients’ lifestyle was investigated using Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP II). Demographic characteristics and risk factors for cardiovascular disease were also extracted from the patients’ medical records. Data was analyzed applying Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test, and multiple linear regression test in SPSS V.21.

Results: According to the results, the mean score for health responsibility, physical activity, stress management and total score for health promoting behaviors were significantly higher in patients with arterial stenosis less than 50% (P<0.05). Also, in this group of patients significant positive relationships were found between age and stress management (P=0.03), and history of hypertension and spiritual growth (P=0.001). In the group of patients with arterial stenosis above 50%, there were significant relationships between history of diabetes and interpersonal relationships (P=0.007) and smoking and spiritual growth (P=0.03).

Conclusion: According to this study, educational interventions that promote stress management skills and physical activity among people at risk for cardiovascular diseases may reduce the severity of coronary artery stenosis.