Maternal health behaviours during pregnancy in an Irish obstetric population and their associations with socio-demographic and infant characteristics

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 2011-04, Vol.65 (4), p.470-479
• Main Authors: Tarrant, R C, Younger, K M, Sheridan-Pereira, M, Kearney, J M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/477; 692/700/1719; 692/700/478/174; Adult; Alcohol; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol use; Alcohols; Biological and medical sciences; Breast Feeding - epidemiology; Cigarette smoking; Clinical Nutrition; Confidence intervals; Consumption patterns; Drug addiction; Epidemiology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Folic acid; Folic Acid - administration & dosage; Follow-Up Studies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gestational Age; Health Behavior; High risk pregnancy; Humans; Internal Medicine; Ireland - epidemiology; Maternal & child health; Maternal Behavior; Maternal Welfare; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Observational studies; Odds Ratio; original-article; Patient Compliance - statistics & numerical data; Postpartum Period; Pregnancy; Prenatal care; Prospective Studies; Public Health; Recruitment; Side effects; Smoking; Smoking - epidemiology; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tobacco, tobacco smoking; Toxicology; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vitamin B; Womens health
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.16

Background/Objectives: To examine the prevalence and combined occurrence of peri-conceptional folic acid (FA) supplement use, smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy in a sample of women in Dublin, and determine the factors associated with these health behaviours. Subjects/Methods: A prospective observational study (2004–2006) involving the recruitment of 491 pregnant women from antenatal clinics in a Dublin maternity hospital, with postpartum follow-up of 450 eligible mothers. Data on FA use, maternal smoking and alcohol consumption patterns during pregnancy were collected from the antenatal patient-administered questionnaire, which was completed by participants, and returned to the investigator on the day of recruitment. Results: The median gestational age of women at recruitment was 36 weeks. A combined 24.2% of mothers commenced FA at the recommended time, avoided alcohol consumption and smoking during pregnancy. In all, 35.3% of mothers reported to consuming alcohol, 20.9% smoked during pregnancy and 44.4% commenced FA at the recommended time. Mothers