title: Maternal health behaviours during pregnancy in an Irish obstetric population and their associations with socio-demographic and infant characteristics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  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 <25 years were more likely to have not taken FA at the recommended time (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 4.0, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.64-9.77) and were more likely to have smoked during pregnancy (aOR: 3.56, 95% CI: 1.32-9.57). Irish nationality positively predicted both alcohol consumption (aOR: 4.37, 95% CI: 1.88-10.15) and smoking (aOR: 10.92, 95% CI: 1.35-87.98) during pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educational efforts are still necessary to convince women of Irish nationality, in particular, of the adverse effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on fetal outcome. Women <25 years should be specifically targeted in smoking cessation and FA promotional campaigns.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Tarrant
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Younger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sheridan-Pereira
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kearney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005865:Gestational Age; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D008429:Maternal Welfare; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid