Is there a difference in preventive health checks and healthy lifestyle practices based on preconception status? Findings from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health.

Abstract

Introduction: While preventive healthcare guidelines recommend that pregnant women or those planning pregnancy engage in preventive care and maintain healthy lifestyles, it is unknown whether women engage in these activities before conception. We examined the association between maternal status and participation in preventive health checks and healthy lifestyle practices.

Methods: We included 4447 women from 1989 to 95 cohort of Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, categorised into three groups: pregnant women, women in preconception period, and women who were neither pregnant nor trying to become pregnant between surveys one to six. Generalised estimating equation was used for analyses.

Results: At the sixth survey when women were aged 24-29, 7 % and 32 % of women in the preconception period did not have their blood pressure and weight checked, respectively. Concerning healthy lifestyles during preconception period, 37 % of women did not meet the minimum physical activity guidelines; 64 % and 85 % of women, respectively, did not meet the recommended serves of fruits and vegetables; 92 % consumed any level of alcohol; and 31 % tried other illicit drugs. Women in the preconception period were more likely to have their weight checked (OR 1.83; CI 1.39, 2.41) and to abstain from using illicit drugs (OR 1.12; CI 1.01, 1.26) than other women who were not trying to become pregnant.

Conclusions: There were no differences in most behaviours between women in preconception period and in other women who were not pregnant. More awareness of preconception health is required to encourage women to engage in preventive activities.