Prenatal Health Behaviors: What Women and Men Report

• In Event: 546 - Section on Sociology of Population Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 10. Reproductive Health and Child Mortality

Abstract

Maternal health behaviors during pregnancy have been widely recognized as correlated to birth outcomes as well as child health and development. Both doctors and researchers most commonly rely on maternal self reports in assessing prenatal health behaviors. However, concerns over the accuracy of these self reported prenatal health behaviors, especially negative health behaviors, have been voiced by researchers. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to compare men’s and women’s self reports of prenatal health behaviors, this preliminary study explores the potential benefit of male partner self reports in improving the accuracy of prenatal health reports. Respondents who reported at least one past pregnancy were asked to report on their most recent pregnancy that ended in a live birth. 2,081 women and 970 men reported on maternal prenatal health behaviors, including prenatal care, smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug use. While both men and women had similar reports in terms of prenatal care, men reported higher rates of maternal prenatal smoking, alcohol consumption, and drug use. This discrepancy in reports demonstrates the need for more research looking at the accuracy of men’s self reports of maternal prenatal health behaviors, particularly negative health behaviors.

Author

• Danielle Denardo, University of Colorado-Boulder