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Health Risk Factors and Mental Health Among US Women with and without Chronic Physical Disabilities by Whether Women are Currently Pregnant

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Abstract

Growing numbers of reproductive-age US women with chronic physical disabilities (CPD) raise questions about their pregnancy experiences. Little is known about the health risks of women with versus without CPD by current pregnancy status. We analyzed cross-sectional, nationally-representative National Health Interview Survey data from 2006 to 2011, which includes 47,629 civilian, noninstitutionalized women ages 18–49. NHIS asks about specified movement difficulties, current pregnancy, and various health and health risk indicators, including tobacco use and body mass index (BMI). We used responses from eight movement difficulty and other questions to identify women with mobility difficulties caused by chronic physical health conditions. Across all women regardless of CPD, women reporting current pregnancy are significantly less likely to currently smoke tobacco and report certain mental health problems. Among currently pregnant women only, women with CPD are more likely to smoke cigarettes every day (12.2 %) versus 6.3 % for pregnant women without CPD (p ≤ 0.001). Among currently pregnant women, 17.7 % of women with CPD have BMIs in the non-overweight range, compared with 40.1 % of women without CPD (p ≤ 0.0001). Currently pregnant women with CPD are significantly more likely to report having any mental health problems, 66.6 % compared with 29.7 % among women without CPD (p ≤ 0.0001). For all women, currently pregnant women appear to have fewer health risks and mental health concerns than nonpregnant women. Among pregnant women, women with CPD have higher rates than other women of health risk factors that could affect maternal and infant outcomes.

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Acknowledgments

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, Grant No. 5R21HD068756-02.

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None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital, 50 Staniford Street, Room 901B, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Lisa I. Iezzoni, Jun Yu & Amy J. Wint

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Jeffrey L. Ecker

  3. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Lisa I. Iezzoni

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Jeffrey L. Ecker

  5. Center for Nursing Research, Villanova University College of Nursing, Villanova, PA, USA

    Suzanne C. Smeltzer

Authors
  1. Lisa I. Iezzoni
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  2. Jun Yu
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  3. Amy J. Wint
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  4. Suzanne C. Smeltzer
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  5. Jeffrey L. Ecker
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Correspondence to Lisa I. Iezzoni.

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Iezzoni, L.I., Yu, J., Wint, A.J. et al. Health Risk Factors and Mental Health Among US Women with and without Chronic Physical Disabilities by Whether Women are Currently Pregnant. Matern Child Health J 19, 1364–1375 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1641-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-014-1641-6

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