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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Amee M. Schwitters, MPH, Larry K. Olsen, DrPH, CHES, and Mohammed Y. Hussain, PhD. Department of Health Science, New Mexico State University, College of Health and Social Services, MSC 3446, 1335 International Mall, PO Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88011, (505) 646-2064, aschwitters@hotmail.com

BACKGROUND: The El Paso-Ciudad Juarez border community is among the largest of all of the border communities along the United States-Mexico border (HB2010, 2003). To date, no secondary analysis of the data from the Paso Del Norte BRFSS in relation to comparing risk factors for women who are pregnant, not pregnant, or trying to conceive has been conducted. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast health risk differences among pregnant and non-pregnant women living in the Paso del Norte region of the United States/Mexico border. SIGNIFICANCE: Knowing the risk factors in which pregnant and trying to conceive women engage, helps program planners target interventions designed to alter these risk-taking behaviors. METHOD: The method used in the present study involved a secondary analysis of the Paso del Norte BRFSS Data for women, focusing on explanatory factors such as age, income, education, and their effect on such risk factors as tobacco use, alcohol use, health care coverage, dental access, exercise, and folic acid use and awareness among women. FINDINGS: A total of 490 women (341 Hispanic) participated. There were too few women in each ethnicity and pregnancy status group to effect meaningful comparisons. Overall, pregnant and trying to conceive women engaged in fewer risk taking behaviors but these differences were not significant (p>.05), other than frequency of teeth cleaning. CONCLUSIONS: There appeared to be an over reporting of positive health behaviors and an under reporting of negative health behaviors among this group of women.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to describe the comparative health risk factors among women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, compared to women who do not want to become pregnant.

Keywords: Risk Factors, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered