Community‐wide estimation of illicit drug use in delivering women: Prevalence, demographics, and associated risk factors

Vaughn, Arthur J.; Carzoli, R.P.; Sánchez-Ramos, Luis; Murphy, Siobhán; Khan, Nelofar Sami; Chiu, Tai-Chia

doi:10.1016/0020-7292(94)90788-9

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…These findings are generally consistent with the results of other selfreported studies that have suggested that around 5% of women admit to using cannabis in pregnancy 15 . It is, however, likely that these figures may underestimate the true prevalence of cannabis smoking in pregnancy.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Maternal use of cannabis and pregnancy outcome

Fergusson

2002

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

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Objective To document the prevalence of cannabis use in a large sample of British women studied during pregnancy, to determine the association between cannabis use and social and lifestyle factors and assess any independent effects on pregnancy outcome. Design Self-completed questionnaire on use of cannabis before and during pregnancy.Sample Over 12,000 women expecting singletons at 18 to 20 weeks of gestation who were enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood. Methods Any association with the use of cannabis before and during pregnancy with pregnancy outcome was examined, taking into account potentially confounding factors including maternal social background and other substance use during pregnancy. Main outcome measures Late fetal and perinatal death, special care admission of the newborn infant, birthweight, birth length and head circumference. Results Five percent of mothers reported smoking cannabis before and/or during pregnancy; they were younger, of lower parity, better educated and more likely to use alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, tea and hard drugs. Cannabis use during pregnancy was unrelated to risk of perinatal death or need for special care, but, the babies of women who used cannabis at least once per week before and throughout pregnancy were 216g lighter than those of non-users, had significantly shorter birth lengths and smaller head circumferences. After adjustment for confounding factors, the association between cannabis use and birthweight failed to be statistically significant ( P ¼ 0.056 ) and was clearly non-linear: the adjusted mean birthweights for babies of women using cannabis at least once per week before and throughout pregnancy were 90g lighter than the offspring of other women. No significant adjusted effects were seen for birth length and head circumference. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that the use of cannabis during pregnancy was not associated with increased risk of perinatal mortality or morbidity in this sample. However, frequent and regular use of cannabis throughout pregnancy may be associated with small but statistically detectable decrements in birthweight.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Maternal use of cannabis and pregnancy outcome

Fergusson

2002

BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

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“…Other, but not all, (41) studies at delivery have found patterns similar to Vega and Kunins for drugs, (42) especially cocaine. (41, 43–48) Findings about marijuana are mixed. (44, 46, 49)…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Universal Alcohol/Drug Screening in Prenatal Care: A Strategy for Reducing Racial Disparities? Questioning the Assumptions

Roberts

Nuru-Jeter

2010

Matern Child Health J

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Agencies and organizations promoting universal screening for alcohol and drug use in prenatal care argue that universal screening will reduce White versus Black racial disparities in reporting to Child Protective Services (CPS) at delivery. Yet, no published research has assessed the impact of universal screening on reporting disparities or explored plausible mechanisms. This review defines two potential mechanisms: Equitable Surveillance and Effective Treatment and identifies assumptions underlying each mechanism. It reviews published literature relating to each assumption. Research relating to assumptions underlying each mechanism is primarily inconclusive or contradictory. Thus, available research does not support the claim that universal screening for alcohol and drug use in prenatal care reduces racial disparities in CPS reporting at delivery. Reducing these reporting disparities requires more than universal screening.

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“…We did not include women delivering in the private system, which accounts for 26.8% and 38.4% of the NSW and ACT deliveries, respectively 12 . Previous studies from Australia and the USA showed that the number of drug‐exposed women in the private system is considerably lower than those in the public system 13,14 . We were uncertain of the reliability of private obstetricians recording illicit drug use in hospital records.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 96%