Cocaine use during pregnancy and health outcome after 10 years.
BACKGROUND
Women who used cocaine during pregnancy may become at risk for increased physical and mental health problems.


METHODS
Three hundred and twenty-one (158 cocaine use during pregnancy (PC), 163 no cocaine (NC)) women were assessed using the Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36V2) 10 years after infant birth. Factors related to mental and physical health, and co-occurring with PC, were evaluated using multiple regression.


RESULTS
Controlling for age and education, PC women reported poorer total perceived mental health (PMH) (46.3±.9 vs. 50.7±.9, p<.001), more bodily pain (48.1±1.0 vs. 51.5±1.0, p<.02) and poorer health perceptions (46.8±.9 vs. 49.7±.9, p<.03) than NC women. PC women had lower BMI (29% vs. 32%, p<.006), higher current alcoholic drinks per/week (4.05±15.5 vs. 1.29±3.51, p<.005) and number of cigarettes per day (9±10.6 vs. 4±6.5, p<.0001) and greater total life strain (Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes (FILE)) (4.6±4.9 vs. 3.2±3.2, p<.004) than NC women. Regression analyses indicated that body mass index (BMI) mediated the effect of prior cocaine use on perceived physical health (PPH) and total life strain had additive effects. Current cigarette use and total life stress partially mediated the effects of cocaine use on PMH and also had additive independent effects.


CONCLUSIONS
PC use is a marker for poor health after 10 years. Mediators of these relationships (BMI, stressful life events and current tobacco use) should be considered when designing interventions to promote health.
Case Western Reserve University, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, 11235 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. Sonia.Minnes@case.edu
Sonia
S
Minnes
Meeyoung O
MO
Min
Lynn T
LT
Singer
Marjorie
M
Edguer
Miaoping
M
Wu
Pyone
P
Thi
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000187:drug effects*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology