Prevalence of maternal drug use near time of delivery.
Prenatal substance abuse is a problem of growing concern because of the negative effects it has on the health of the woman and developing fetus. To evaluate the prevalence of this problem in our community, anonymous toxicology studies were performed on 1,003 maternal urines. Samples were connected at time of delivery and selection bias was addressed. Results indicated that cocaine or marijuana metabolites were present in 4% of all urines. Among clinic patients, 12.4% tested positive (7.3% cocaine; 5.1% marijuana) and 1.3% tested positive among private patients (0.7% cocaine; 0.7% marijuana). Poor prenatal care was positively associated with substance use regardless of clinic or private care: 50% of those with fewer than three prenatal visits tested positive for cocaine or marijuana compared with 2% of those with more than three prenatal visits. Maternal age < 18 years did not predict substance use. Program planning in Connecticut should progress with these data in mind.
Fenton
L
L
Department of Psychiatry, Hartford Hospital.
Mclaren
M
M
Wilson
A
A
Anderson
D
D
Curry
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011295:Prenatal Care; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*