eprintid: 1456309
rev_number: 37
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/01/45/63/09
datestamp: 2015-01-16 13:13:47
lastmod: 2019-10-19 07:43:58
status_changed: 2015-01-16 13:13:46
type: thesis
metadata_visibility: show
item_issues_count: 0
creators_name: Wahab, MI
title: Medicine and recreational substance use in pregnancy: epidemiology and the health beliefs of expectant mothers
ispublished: unpub
divisions: A01
divisions: B02
divisions: C08
divisions: D10
keywords: Pregnancy, Medicine, Epidemiology, Health beliefs
abstract: The prenatal use of medicines and recreational substances is of significant importance because there is insufficient information on the effects of medicines and recreational substances on pregnancy outcomes. In addition, literatures on health beliefs of pregnant women about medicine and recreational substance use are lacking. The aim of this thesis was to investigate medicine and recreational substance use during pregnancy in an antenatal population of London. The study was approved by the ethics committee. The first part of the thesis was a prospective cohort study of medicine and substance use across all trimesters (using survey methods), and the pregnancy outcomes (using the medical records); the second part was a qualitative study of the health beliefs of pregnant women which employed semi-structured telephone interviews and the Health Belief Model as a framework for data collection and analysis. The results of the prospective study demonstrated that the prevalence of use of prescription, over-the-counter and complementary and alternative medicines during at least one trimester were 32.5%, 50.2% and 57.1% respectively. The prevalence of exposure to alcohol, cigarette and illicit substances were 16.0%, 3.5% and 0.9% respectively. However, due to limited sample size, the study could not demonstrate an association between the medicines and substances used and increased risk of congenital anomalies in the baby. The qualitative study indicated that pregnant women’s adherence to medicines could be explained by women’s perception of the severity of a medical condition, risks of non-adherence to the medicine as well as anxiety about the risks of the medicine on the foetus. In the case of substance use, a low risk perception could be used to explain women’s behaviour. Healthcare professionals have a responsibility to counsel pregnant women about the benefits or risks of medicines and substances, informed by the best evidence, and guided by the women’s perceptions.
date: 2014-11-28
vfaculties: VFLS
oa_status: green
full_text_type: other
thesis_class: doctoral_open
language: eng
thesis_view: UCL_Thesis
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
elements_source: Manually entered
elements_id: 994105
lyricists_name: Wahab, Mariam
lyricists_id: MIWAH91
full_text_status: public
pagerange: ? - ?
pages: 363
institution: UCL (University College London)
department: UCL School of Pharmacy
thesis_type: Doctoral
editors_name: Tuleu, C
editors_name: Jani, Y
citation:        Wahab, MI;      (2014)    Medicine and recreational substance use in pregnancy: epidemiology and the health beliefs of expectant mothers.                   Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).     Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1456309/2/Mariam%20Wahab%20final%20thesis.pdf