title: Changes in health behaviors made by pregnant substance users.
abstract: A descriptive survey was conducted with 31 pregnant women who were substance users enrolled in a perinatal treatment program. The purpose of the study was to determine the women's health behaviors by using open-ended questions. Most of the women were between 20 and 29 years of age, Hispanic, not married, unemployed, and had partial or completed high-school education. The women had multiple pregnancies with few living children. The majority of the women were 4 to 6 months pregnant and all had received prenatal care. The women made health behavior changes during pregnancy related to nutrition, substance use, self-care, exercise, lifestyle, and seeking counseling. Over 52% of the women reported they made these behavioral changes because they wanted a healthy baby.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque 87131, USA.
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Clough
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wallerstedt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*; D016387:Women's Health