Actively preparing for pregnancy is associated with healthier lifestyle of women during the preconception period

Objective To assess whether actively preparing for pregnancy by women is associated with lifestyle changes during the preconception period. Design retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting primary care community midwifery practice in the Netherlands. Participants convenience sample of 283 women who received antenatal care. Measurements and findings the association between pregnancy preparation (defined as searching for information and/or consulting a healthcare provider) and preconception lifestyle changes (healthier diet, folic acid, alcohol and tobacco cessation) was measured and adjusted for age, body mass index and educational level. Almost 60% (n=160) of women acquired preconception information themselves and 25% (n=68) consulted a healthcare provider regarding their pregnancy wish. The former group was significantly more likely to quit drinking (adjusted OR 5.46 (95% CI 1.76–16.96)), improve their diet (adjusted OR 7.84 (95% CI 3.03–20.30)) and use folic acid (adjusted OR 3.90 (95% CI 2.00–7.62)) compared with women who did not prepare for pregnancy. Effect sizes were even larger for women who (also) consulted a healthcare provider with regard to folic acid use, healthier diet and smoking cessation. Key conclusions gathering preconception information, either by women themselves or by means of a PCC consult, is associated with women positively changing lifestyles during the preconception period. Implications for practice we recommend to not solely focus interventions on increasing the uptake of PCC consults, yet providing a suitable offer of preconception health information, which enables women to properly inform themselves.

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