Alcohol consumption behavior of pregnant women in Japan

Objective. This study was conducted to clarify the prevalence of alcohol consumption among pregnant women in Japan and its associated factors. Method. 344 institutions participated in the survey which was conducted in February 2006. Each subject was requested to fill out a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. Factors associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy were examined using the chi-squared test and logistic regression analysis. Results. The number of effective responses was 18,965. The prevalence of alcohol consumption before the confirmation of pregnancy and during pregnancy was 44.6% and 4.6% respectively. The following items were recognized as being associated with promoting alcohol consumption during pregnancy: greater number of weeks of pregnancy, more pregnancies, fewer years of schooling, being employed, an alcohol consumption before the confirmation of pregnancy, smoking during pregnancy, ignorance about the effects of alcohol consumption on fetuses, receiving advice regarding alcohol abstention, difficulty maintaining sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Conclusion. It is important to have a more comprehensive understanding of the factors associated with the alcohol consumption behavior of pregnant women, as revealed in the present study, in order to develop future policies for preventing alcohol consumption among pregnant women. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.