Benefits of Interventions Targeting Multiple Risk Factors During and After Pregnancy

Newswise — A new report suggests that pregnancy-related health interventions work best when multiple risk factors are dealt with simultaneously and when intervention efforts continue after a baby is born. The report, "An Integrated Psycho-Behavioral Intervention During Pregnancy Has Significant Effects in Reducing Risks During the Post-Partum Period in African-American Women" was prepared by Ayman El-Mohandes, MD, MPH, professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics at GW and interim chair of the Department of Prevention and Community Health in GW's School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS), for the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, convening May 14-17 in Washington, D.C.

Psycho-behavioral intervention employs behavior modification and other non-drug related measures to help counter risk factors like depression, intimate partner violence, smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.

"Many of these problems happen in clusters, and so it makes sense to treat them together" said Dr. El-Mohandes. "The women who received this intervention did significantly better when it came to numerous risk factors like intimate partner violence, smoking and environmental exposure to smoke."

The study involved 1,044 pregnant African American women in the Washington area over a three year period ending in 2004. Unlike many interventions, Dr. El-Mohandes says the current study continued to assist mothers up to 10 weeks after the birth of a child.

"It's important to keep the intervention going after the baby is born," said Dr. El-Mohandes, arguing that it is easy for problems to return in the post-partum period. "Some women who quit smoking during pregnancy and vowed to stay off cigarettes, for example, may decide to light up again after they have their baby."

Postpartum depression remained a risk factor apparently not affected by the intervention, probably because such depression, by definition, is not present while a woman is pregnant, the period when most of the intervention is taking place.

The PAS annual meeting is attended by more than 7,000 pediatricians from academic medical centers all over the world. The PAS is a coalition of the American Pediatric Society, Society for Pediatric Research, Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.