title: Positive lifestyle changes around the time of pregnancy: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: To examine the prevalence of positive lifestyle behaviours before and during pregnancy in Ireland.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  
  Population-based study in Ireland.
  
  
  
  A total of 718 women of predominantly Caucasian origin from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), Ireland, were included.
  
  
  
  Positive lifestyle behaviour changes before and during pregnancy in Ireland on alcohol consumption, smoking, folate use and nutrition.
  
  
  
  Of 1212 women surveyed, 718 (59%) responded. 26% were adherent to all three recommendations on alcohol consumption, smoking and folate use before pregnancy. This increased to 39% for the same three behaviours during pregnancy, with greater increases in adherence observed among women with the lowest adherence before pregnancy. Age, education and ethnicity gaps in adherence before pregnancy appeared to narrow during pregnancy. Adherence to all seven food pyramid guidelines was less than 1% overall, and less than 1% of participants met all four micronutrient guidelines on vitamin D, folate, calcium and iron intake around the time of pregnancy.
  
  
  
  Low levels of healthy lifestyle behaviours before pregnancy and low levels of positive lifestyle behaviours during pregnancy demonstrate an urgent need for increased clinical and public health efforts to target deleterious health behaviours before, during and after pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, UK Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: O'Keeffe
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland HRB Clinical Research Facility Cork, Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Darren L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Dahly
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland School of Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Janas M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Harrington
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corcoran
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Patricia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Kearney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D014803:Vitamin B Complex / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D005492:Folic Acid
keywords: EPIDEMIOLOGY; NUTRITION & DIETETICS; alcohol; behaviours; pregnancy; smoking