title: The relationship between pregnancy intention and preconception health behaviors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe smoking, heavy drinking, and folic acid supplementation in preconception women and determine if the likelihood of healthy preconception behaviors differs by whether and when women intend future pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis was based on 35,351 nonpregnant women who participated in the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System who were of reproductive age (18-44 years), sexually active, and capable of future pregnancy. The association between future pregnancy intention and preconception behaviors was determined adjusting for diabetes, weight category, age group, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, income, and children living in household.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty percent of women were non-smokers, 94.3% were non-heavy drinkers, and 42.6% were daily folic acid users. In adjusted analysis, only the odds of folic acid supplementation remained higher in women intending pregnancy in the next 12 months (adjusted odds ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-2.04) compared with women not intending future pregnancy. Women intending pregnancy later or ambivalent about future pregnancy were no more likely to be engaging in healthy preconception behaviors than women not intending future pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women intending pregnancy within 12 months were more likely to use folic acid, but pregnancy intention was not associated with preconception smoking or heavy drinking.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. cchuang@hmc.psu.edu
authors.forename: Cynthia H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: Marianne M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Hillemeier
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Dyer
authors.forename: Carol S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Weisman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D016742:Preconception Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid