TY - JOUR
T1 - Alcohol messages disseminated to pregnant women by midwives
AU - Olusanya, Olufunto A.
AU - Olokunlade, Temitope
AU - Rossheim, Matthew E.
AU - Greene, Kaylin
AU - Barry, Adam E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Background: Pregnant women frequently report inconsistent messages regarding alcohol consumption from their healthcare providers. Midwives play a major role in prenatal care. However, little research has examined alcohol-related information provided by midwives. Objective: To examine alcohol-related messages disseminated to pregnant women by midwives. Methods: In 2018, 61 certified professional midwives (CPMs) and certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) were recruited from professional organizations in a southwestern state. Midwives responded to an online cross-sectional survey containing the prompt: “A pregnant patient confides in you that she drinks alcohol. She then asks you to tell her a “safe” level of alcohol consumption that won’t cause harm to her unborn fetus. How would you respond?” Open-ended responses were analyzed through content analysis and categorized using an inductive approach. Results: Responses were grouped into five non-exclusive themes: “harmful effects and unknown safe limits” (77.0%); “abstaining is best” (50.8%); “light drinking is acceptable” (16.4%); “describe your drinking” (21.3%); “I will refer you” (16.4%). The most frequently shared messages were “safe levels of prenatal alcohol use are unknown” (68.9%) and “discontinue alcohol during pregnancy” (45.9%). However, some messages contradicted US dietary guidelines, including “a little bit of alcohol unlikely to cause harm” (11.5%); “cut-down if having more than 1–2 drinks per occasion” (4.9%); and “if you must drink, wine is best” (1.6%). CPMs were less likely to share abstinence messages (p = .003) and more likely to suggest referrals (p = .024), compared to CNMs. Conclusion: Concerted efforts are needed to ensure information disseminated aligns with health guidelines and encourages abstinence during pregnancy.
AB - Background: Pregnant women frequently report inconsistent messages regarding alcohol consumption from their healthcare providers. Midwives play a major role in prenatal care. However, little research has examined alcohol-related information provided by midwives. Objective: To examine alcohol-related messages disseminated to pregnant women by midwives. Methods: In 2018, 61 certified professional midwives (CPMs) and certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) were recruited from professional organizations in a southwestern state. Midwives responded to an online cross-sectional survey containing the prompt: “A pregnant patient confides in you that she drinks alcohol. She then asks you to tell her a “safe” level of alcohol consumption that won’t cause harm to her unborn fetus. How would you respond?” Open-ended responses were analyzed through content analysis and categorized using an inductive approach. Results: Responses were grouped into five non-exclusive themes: “harmful effects and unknown safe limits” (77.0%); “abstaining is best” (50.8%); “light drinking is acceptable” (16.4%); “describe your drinking” (21.3%); “I will refer you” (16.4%). The most frequently shared messages were “safe levels of prenatal alcohol use are unknown” (68.9%) and “discontinue alcohol during pregnancy” (45.9%). However, some messages contradicted US dietary guidelines, including “a little bit of alcohol unlikely to cause harm” (11.5%); “cut-down if having more than 1–2 drinks per occasion” (4.9%); and “if you must drink, wine is best” (1.6%). CPMs were less likely to share abstinence messages (p = .003) and more likely to suggest referrals (p = .024), compared to CNMs. Conclusion: Concerted efforts are needed to ensure information disseminated aligns with health guidelines and encourages abstinence during pregnancy.
KW - Alcohol
KW - guidelines
KW - healthcare providers
KW - midwives
KW - pregnancy
KW - prenatal
KW - screening
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096107253&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00952990.2020.1836187
DO - 10.1080/00952990.2020.1836187
M3 - Article
C2 - 33175601
AN - SCOPUS:85096107253
SN - 0095-2990
VL - 47
SP - 255
EP - 264
JO - American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
JF - American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
IS - 2
ER -