Comparative Assessment of the Prevalence of Smoking and Alcohol Consumption Among Reproductive‑Age Women Before Pregnancy and During the Prenatal Period

Relevance. Smoking and drinking alcohol by women of reproductive age is quite common both in Russia and in most countries of the world. In some cases, the consumption of these psychoactive substances continues throughout pregnancy, which can have a negative impact on the course and outcome of pregnancy and requires strengthening diagnostic and preventive measures aimed at preventing consumption and providing the woman with advisory or medical assistance.

The purpose of the study was to study the frequency and quantity of psychoactive substance use by women of reproductive age before pregnancy and during the prenatal period.

Methodology. The study involved 204 pregnant women – patients of the perinatal center of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Psychometric methods were used: express method AUDIT-C; screening test for involvement in the use of alcohol, tobacco and psychoactive substances ASSIST, method of retrospective assessment of daily volume of psychoactive substance consumption TLFB. Data analysis was carried out by studying frequency distributions and contingency tables using the χ² test.

Results. The results of a comparative assessment of the prevalence of smoking and alcohol consumption in women of reproductive age before pregnancy and in the prenatal period demonstrated a high prevalence of consumption of these types of psychoactive substances both before pregnancy and in the prenatal period. Signs of abuse of nicotine-containing products were identified in the range from 13.7 % (using the TLFB method) to 16.7 % (using the ASSIST test) of the examined pregnant women. Signs of alcohol abuse were determined in the range from 18.2 % (by the ASSIST test) to 21.5 % (by the TLFB method). Correlation analysis revealed a number of statistically significant relationships (p ≤ 0.001) between the risk levels of nicotine and alcohol use before and during pregnancy among the women studied. A higher risk level of nicotine use before pregnancy was significantly associated with a higher risk level of smoking during pregnancy (r = 0.962), and the same trend was observed for risk levels of alcohol use (r = 0.815).

Conclusion. The results obtained in the study indicate the continuing need to improve measures aimed at preventing the use of nicotine-containing products and alcoholic beverages by women of reproductive age, including pregnant women and women planning pregnancy.

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