Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #103699

Scott Spencer, Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health & Sciences University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Road, Mail Code CB669, Portland, OR 97239-3098, Kenneth D. Rosenberg, MD, MPH, Office of Family Health, Oregon Department of Human Services, 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 850, Portland, OR 97232, 503-731-4507, ken.d.rosenberg@state.or.us, and Jodi A. Lapidus, PhD, Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Mail Code CB669, Campus Services Building 669, Portland, OR 97239.

Background. Almost half of U.S. pregnancies are unintended. We sought to explore whether binge drinking in the 3 months prior to pregnancy is associated with unintended childbearing.

Methods. Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) surveyed a stratified random sample of postpartum women who delivered in Oregon in 2000 (n=2100; response rate=73.0%). Women were asked how many times they drank 5 or more alcoholic drinks at one sitting (“binge drinking”) in the 3 months before they got pregnant. They were also asked how they felt about becoming pregnant just before they got pregnant: wanting to be pregnant sooner or then (intended) or later or not then or at any time in the future (unintended).

Results. 11.1% of women had 5 or more drinks at one sitting at least once in the 3 months before they got pregnant. 38.3% of women had unintended pregnancies. Women who binge drank were more likely to have had an unintended pregnancy: odds ratio=2.60 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.58, 4.29). After controlling for maternal race, education, parity, smoking and father on the birth certificate, the adjusted odds ratio was 2.56 (95% CI 1.49, 4.40).

Conclusions. In Oregon, women who reported an unintended pregnancy were much more likely to report binge drinking prior to pregnancy than women whose pregnancy was intended. Public health education messages should inform fertile women of the health risks of binge drinking, including unintended pregnancy.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to ask about drinking in a survey
• Learn about pregnancy intendedness
• Learn about public health media messages to prevent FASD and other alcohol-related child diseases

Keywords: Alcohol, Pregnancy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation