Risk Behaviour of Parents in the Time of Expectation of Child and after the Child Birth

Overview

The work presents trends of changes in consumption of alcohol and smoking which occured during the last twomonths of pregnancy and confinement in women and men observed in the frame of international longitudinalprospective study ELSPAC. Respondents were filling the questionnaires which, within the ELSPAC set, weremarked N4 (for women) and N5 (for men). Statements were not objectively verified by laboratory investigation ofbiomarkers of exposition to cigarette smoke.In the set of 4983 women, the prevalence of smokers in the second half of pregnancy decreased from 8.2 % (in20th week) to 7.0%in 36. - 40. weeks of gravidity. 2.4%of women who did not smoke at the end of the pregnancy,started to smoke after the delivery. On the contrary, 36%of women who smoked during the whole pregnancy gaveup smoking after the delivery.Women are bringing their habits in alcohol consumption from the pregnancy also to the time after the delivery:almost 86% of women who did not drink in pregnancy, had not been drinking also after the delivery. Occasionaland regular alcohol consumption - at least once a week - had been admitted by 78%of mothers who gave similarfrequency also at the end of their pregnancy. Daily consumption of alcohol was given by 84% of those women whowere drinking alcohol daily also during the pregnancy. The other women described drinking of alcoholic drinksin weekly frequency, respective occasionally. Only one woman from the group of daily consumpting women andone fifth of the group of occasional or regular consumers did not drink after the delivery. The smokers drankalcoholic drinks significantly more often than non smoking women.Men did not change significantly their smoking habits neither during the time of expecting the baby, nor afterthe delivery. The regular consumption of alcohol drinks significantly increased after the birth of the child on thegroups of non smokers.The results canserve asappealto specialhealthworkersprovidingthe care for themother andchild, topayincreasedattention to the most important primary preventive risks for the human reproduction - alcohol and smoking.

Key words:
smoking, alcohol, pregnancy, child birth