Implementing evidence-based practice: reducing risk for low birth weight through pregnancy smoking cessation

A review of clinical studies involving pregnant women registered in the Clinical Trials Registry of India

CONTEXT AND AIMS

Pregnant women undergo physiological changes which influence the efficacy as well as safety of medications used. Very few drugs are tested and approved for medical conditions during pregnancy, and less pharmacokinetic data are available to form clinical treatment guidelines. There was no data available regarding the type of research studies conducted in pregnancy in India. Hence, we conducted this study to analyze the type of research studies in pregnancy registered in the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Following exemption from review by the Institutional Ethics Committee, all studies in pregnant women registered in CTRI from its inception in July 2007 to June 2018 were reviewed. Data were captured with respect to geographical distribution, trimester of pregnancy, study designs used, therapy area, and funding.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

The variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics using SPSS version 16.0.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 14,911 studies in CTRI, a total of 285 (1.91%) studies involved pregnant women. Of these studies, 199 (69.8%) were interventional, whereas 86 (30.1%) were observational. Of all the interventional studies, 119 (60%) tested drugs, 47 (24%) tested a nondrug intervention, and the rest were nutraceuticals, Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy, and vaccines. Postgraduate theses constituted 140 (49.1%) studies, 79 (27.7%) were academic projects, 27 (9.4%) were government-funded studies, and only 16 (5.6%) were pharmaceutical-sponsored studies. The most commonly studied therapy area was anesthesia, followed by hypertension and induction of labor.

CONCLUSIONS

This study depicts underrepresentation of pregnant women in clinical studies and more evidence needs to be generated with respect to drug safety and pharmacokinetics.

Evaluation of a midwife- and nurse-delivered 5 A's prenatal smoking cessation program

INTRODUCTION

West Virginia has the highest rate of prenatal smoking in the United States. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the implementation of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' 5 A's smoking cessation intervention among pregnant women being cared for by 5 A's-trained midwives working with a team of nurse researchers in an effort to reduce prenatal smoking exposure. The evidence-based 5 A's smoking cessation program has been recommended for use in prenatal care by health care providers.

METHODS

A pilot study was conducted evaluating the implementation of the 5 A's prenatal smoking cessation program for 35 women who smoked during pregnancy. The women received consistent messages to quit or reduce smoking from the midwives and were followed by the nurse research team via telephone with continued support, guidance, and strategic planning for tobacco exposure reduction.

RESULTS

Among the 35 women who enrolled in the study, 32 (91.4%) decreased smoking and 3 (8.6%) quit smoking by one month after the intervention. For those who continued to smoke, the average number of cigarettes smoked was reduced from 10 cigarettes per day at baseline to 8 cigarettes per day at one month, 7 cigarettes per day at 2 months, and 6 cigarettes per day by the end of pregnancy. The women further reduced their tobacco exposure by delaying the timing of initiating smoking in the morning and by increasing indoor smoking restrictions.

DISCUSSION

Midwives and nurses can be trained in the implementation of the evidence-based 5 A's smoking cessation program for incorporation into regular prenatal care of pregnant women who smoke. By guiding women in techniques aimed at reducing the amount and frequency of cigarette smoking, nurses and midwives facilitate a decrease in prenatal smoking exposure.

Risk factors for low birth weight in Botucatu city, SP state, Brazil: a study conducted in the public health system from 2004 to 2008

BACKGROUND

Low birth weight (LBW), defined as birth weight less than 2500 g, has a complex etiology and may be a result of premature interruption of pregnancy or intrauterine growth restriction. The objective of this study was to provide information on determinants of LBW and contribute to the understanding of the problem in Brazil.

METHODS

A case-control study was conducted in Botucatu city, SP state, Brazil. The study population consisted of 2 groups with 860 newborns in each group as follows: low weight newborns (LWNB) and a control group (weight ≥ 2500 g). Secondary data from 2004 to 2008 were collected using the Live Birth Certificate (LBC) and records from medical charts of pregnant women in Basic Health Units (BHU) and in the Public University Hospital (UH). Variables were as follows: maternal socio-demographic characteristics, pregnancy and birth conditions including quality of prenatal care according to 3 criteria. They were based on parameters established by the Ministry of Health (MH), one of them, the modified Kessner Index. The multivariable analysis by logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between variables and LBW.

RESULTS

According to the analysis, the factors associated with LBW were as follows: prematurity (OR = 56.98, 95% CI 29.52-109.95), twin pregnancy (OR = 20.00, 95% CI 6.25-100.00), maternal smoking (OR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.33-3.45), maternal malnourishment (OR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.08-5.00), maternal obesity (OR = 2.30, 95% IC 1.18-4.48), weight gain during pregnancy less than 5 kg (OR = 2.63, 95% CI 1.35-5.00) and weight gain during pregnancy more than 15 kg (OR = 2.26, 95% CI 1.16-4.41). Adequacy of prenatal care visits adjusted to gestational age was less frequent in the LBW group than in the control group (68.7% vs. 80.5%, x2 p < 0.001). According to the modified Kessner Index, 64.4% of prenatal visits in the LWNB group were adequate.

CONCLUSION

LWNB are a quite heterogeneous group of infants concerning their determinants and prevention actions against LBW and the follow-up of these infants have also been very complex. Therefore, improvement in the quality of care provided should be given priority through concrete actions for prevention of LBW.

Racial/ethnic disparities in the receipt of smoking cessation interventions during prenatal care

To explore racial/ethnic disparities in the receipt of optimal smoking cessation counseling during prenatal care. We used data from Oregon's perinatal surveillance system, the Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) from 2000 to 2001. A stratified random sample of postpartum women were asked questions about events before, during and after pregnancy, including smoking and provision of smoking cessation counseling. The weighted response rate was 78.8% (n = 3,895). Receipt of a clinician protocol for smoking cessation intervention, called the Five A's (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange), was the outcome of interest. In the Oregon PRAMS survey, we asked women about three of the Five A's (Ask, Advise, Assist). Of 594 first trimester pregnant smokers, the majority were asked and advised about smoking by a prenatal care provider. However, a substantial proportion of women did not receive assistance to quit and only 42.2% received all three steps. Significant racial/ethnic variations were found only in the Assist step. Compared to non-Hispanic (NH) White women, NH American Indian women had lower odds (adjusted odds ratio [ORa]: 0.45; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.24, 0.85) of receiving all three steps. In contrast, NH Black women had increased odds of receiving all three steps (ORa: 2.43; 95% CI 1.16, 5.10). We conclude that there is a need for prenatal care providers to address tobacco use, especially to Assist quitting, with all pregnant smokers. Healthcare systems should implement system prompts and supports for providers to remind them to address tobacco use with pregnant smokers.

Perinatal periods of risk: analysis of fetal-infant mortality rates in Kansas City, Missouri

OBJECTIVES

The Perinatal Periods of Risk (PPOR) technique was used to analyze resident fetal and infant death data from Kansas City, Missouri, for the period 1998-2002. Results offer important information that can be used to develop community-based prevention strategies related to racial/ethnic disparities in infant mortality rates (IMR).

METHODS

The PPOR approach for fetal and infant mortality can be mapped by birthweight at delivery and time of death into four strategic prevention areas: 1) Maternal Health/Prematurity (MHP), 2) Maternal Care (MC), 3) Newborn Care (NC), and 4) Infant Health (IH). For this analysis, all fetal and infant death certificates from the metropolitan Kansas City area were linked to their birth certificates and those associated with residents of Kansas City, Missouri, proper were used to create the dataset used in this analysis. Due to the small number of fetal and infant deaths among other ethnic groups, the analysis was restricted to a comparison of the disparity of IMR between Blacks, Whites, and a national non-Hispanic white reference group. The Kitagawa formula was used to determine contribution to excess deaths from birthweight-specific mortality and birthweight distribution rates. Logistic regression techniques were used to identify risk factors for death among Black fetuses and infants with very low birthweights and also deaths due to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

RESULTS

The PPOR analysis showed that of the excess deaths among black infants, when compared to a national reference group, 47% was attributable to MHP and another 29% was attributable to IH. Differences in MC and NC only accounted for 27 and 8% of the total excess deaths. During the study period, rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) were found to be significantly higher among Blacks as compared to Whites (2.12 vs. 0.81 per 1,000). An analysis of maternal characteristics for SIDS deaths among blacks using a step-wise logistic regression model, found that maternal age less than 20 years old, previous births, inadequate prenatal care, and being a Medicaid recipient were significant-adjusted odds ratios of 23.7 (95% Cl 10.48, 53.67), 8.4 (95% Cl 3.64, 19.21), 2.9 (95% Cl 1.38, 6.05) and 2.5 (95% Cl 1.04, 5.84), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

PPOR is an easy to use approach that helps focus community initiatives for improving maternal and infant health. In Kansas City, Missouri, efforts to further lower IMR in blacks can be achieved through the reduction of risk factors affecting maternal health and through maternal education to improve infant health.