141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

284387
Effect of previous perinatal loss on health behaviors in subsequent pregnancy

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 10:50 AM - 11:00 AM

Cara Bicking Kinsey, MS, RNC , School of Nursing, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Kesha Baptiste-Roberts, PhD, MPH , School of Nursing & College of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State University, Hershey, PA
Kristen Kjerulff, MA, PhD , Public Health Sciences, Penn State University, Hershey, PA
Background. Women with a history of perinatal loss report feeling emotionally guarded during subsequent pregnancy and may be at increased risk for pregnancy-related anxiety and greater health care utilization compared to women without previous perinatal loss. However, these behaviors have not been studied extensively in women pregnant after perinatal loss.

Methods. We examined the effect of perinatal loss on health behaviors and health care utilization during a subsequent pregnancy in 2854 pregnant women ages 18-36 expecting their first live-born baby. Self-reported health behaviors and use of health resources during pregnancy were compared for women with a history of two or more perinatal losses and women with one or no perinatal loss.

Results. Women with previous perinatal loss did not differ from women without previous loss for many health behaviors including gestational weight gain, multivitamin use, alcohol consumption, and exercise, but were almost three times as likely to smoke every day (adjusted OR[aOR]=2.94, 95% CI 1.28,6.73). Women with two or more previous perinatal losses received prenatal care one week earlier than women with one or no previous losses (p=0.005), had twice the odds of third trimester emergency department visit (aOR=2.11, 95% CI 1.18,3.75), twice the mean number of ED visits (p=0.023), and twice the number of times admitted (p=0.029).

Conclusions. Women with two or more perinatal losses may be more likely to smoke every day. They were also twice as likely to use ED or hospital services in their third trimester, but did not have an increase in outpatient office visits.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related nursing

Learning Objectives:
Compare pregnancy health behaviors between women with a history of two or more perinatal losses and women with one or no previous perinatal losses. Compare healthcare utilization between women with a history of two or more perinatal losses and women with one or no previous perinatal losses.

Keywords: Health Behavior, Prenatal Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral student in nursing and a co-investigator of the First Baby Study, from which this data was collected. My doctoral dissertation focuses on women with a history of perinatal loss.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.