Behavioral Counseling Reduces Some Health Risks Among Low-Income Black Pregnant Women, Study Says

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry;  Smoking / Quit Smoking;  Public Health
Article Date: 09 Sep 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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Participation in a few sessions of behavioral counseling on smoking cessation and other health issues significantly reduced the number of low-income black women who ended their pregnancies with health risk factors, according to a study published in the September issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, Reuters Health reports.

The study, led by researcher Ayman El-Mohandes of George Washington University Medical Center, included 1,070 low-income black women receiving prenatal care at one of six Washington, D.C., clinics. The women all reported risk factors such as smoking, exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke or depression, or had experienced domestic abuse. About half of the women randomly were assigned to receive behavioral counseling, which included attending an average of four 30-minute sessions during pregnancy and one session after giving birth. The remaining women received standard prenatal care.

After several interviews with the women during their pregnancy and one conducted 10 weeks after delivery, researchers found significant reductions in high-risk behavior by the end of the study period. Researchers found that by the end of the study period 55% reported being exposed to second-hand smoke 10 weeks after giving birth, down from 83% at the beginning of the study period; 27% reported being depressed, down from 51%; 10% reported domestic abuse, down from 37%; and women who had received the counseling were 86% more likely than those who did not receive the counseling, to have "resolved" all of their risks, and 60% were more likely than those who did not receive counseling, to have addressed at least one risk factor.

According to the study, the findings suggest that a few prenatal counseling sessions could produce long-term health benefits to women and their children. Researchers noted that offering such counseling through existing social service programs could help more women (Reuters Health, 9/4).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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