title: Predictors of antenatal alcohol use among Australian women: a prospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify predictors of antenatal alcohol consumption among women who usually consume alcohol.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1969 women sampled from the ALSWH 1973-78 cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women were included if they were pregnant in 2000, 2003, 2006 or 2009. The relationship between antenatal alcohol consumption and sociodemographics, reproductive health, mental health, physical health, health behaviours, alcohol guidelines and healthcare factors was investigated using a multivariate logistic regression model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Alcohol use during pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most (82.0%) women continued to drink alcohol during pregnancy. Women were more likely to drink alcohol during pregnancy if they had consumed alcohol on a weekly basis before pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] 1.47; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.13-1.90), binge drank before pregnancy (OR 2.28; 95% CI 1.76-2.94), or if they were pregnant while alcohol guidelines recommended low alcohol versus abstinence (OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.26-2.03). Drinking during pregnancy was less likely if women had a Health Care Card (OR 0.63; 95% CI 0.45-0.88) or if they had ever had fertility problems (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.48-0.86).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most Australian women who drank alcohol continued to do so during pregnancy. Prepregnancy alcohol consumption was one of the main predictors of antenatal alcohol use. Alcohol guidelines, fertility problems and Health Care Card status also impacted antenatal alcohol consumption.
authors.affiliation: Priority Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hure
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Forder
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Kay-Lambkin
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Loxton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008483:Medical Assistance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol drinking; health behaviour; pregnancy; women's health