Not many women follow pre-pregnancy healthcare advice
POSTED February 18, 2009 - 14:54 | POSTED BY Chanchal S. Suri
Last edited by Shikha Patial on February 18, 2009 - 16:28
Southampton, February 18: A new study has revealed that only few women of child bearing age follow the nutrition and lifestyle advice recommended for them.
The doctors say that many pregnancies are unplanned, so all the women of child bearing age whether or not planning pregnancy, should take care of their health properly.
Dr. Hazel M. Inskip of the University of Southampton and her colleagues made a prospective cohort study based on folic acid supplement intake, alcohol consumption, smoking, diet, and physical activity of the women before pregnancy.
In the study, the researchers enrolled 12,445 non-pregnant women aged 20-34 for the interview. Of the total, 238 became pregnant within three months after being interviewed.
The researchers compared the diet, smoking and drinking habits of both the groups, separating the women who became pregnant and who did not.
They found that the women who became pregnant within three months were only slightly more likely to comply with recommended nutrition and diet than the non-pregnant women in that period.
About 2.9 percent of women who conceived were taking required amount of folic acid supplements and drinking four or fewer units of alcohol a week, compared with 0.66 percent of those who did not.
The study revealed that 74 percent of the pregnant women were non-smokers compared with 69 percent of those who did not get pregnant. Both pregnant and non-pregnant women were equally likely to take recommended fruits and vegetables.
The findings show that women are careless about pre pregnancy diet. The study suggests that public health messages and campaigns are necessary to encourage all; women, their partners and society as a whole.
Inskip said, "Yet more leaflets aren't going to help," she added. "It's about embedding it in schools, embedding it in the culture."
Dr. Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen of the University of Southern Denmark said, "We think that a school based public health strategy aimed at all young people would have the advantage of reaching everybody, regardless of their sex or whether they take part in preventive health visits."
The study is published in British Medical Journal.
