TOBACCO, ALCOHOL AND ILLICIT DRUG-USE AMONG PREGNANT-WOMEN - AGE AND RACIAL ETHNIC-DIFFERENCES

This study identified and compared the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use in a large sample of low-image pregnant women, st ratified by maternal age and race/ethnicity. We used a cross-sectional , population-based design and used structured interviews. All 903 pati ents attended university, low-risk obstetric clinics, were aged 12-41 years and were of white, black and Mexican-American race/ethnicity. Th e results indicate that the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use during pregnancy and lifetime illicit drug use varied by age , race/ethnicity and type of substance. For all age groups, whites rep orted higher rates of tobacco, alcohol and lifetime illicit drug use t han did blacks and Mexican-Americans. Whites (7%) and Mexican-American s (5%) < 18 years of age were more likely to report illicit drug use d uring pregnancy than were white (4%) or Mexican-American (2%) patients aged 18-21 and white (4%) or Mexican-American (0%) patients >21 years . Blacks >21 years of age reported the highest rate of current illicit drug use overall (9%). The rates of substance use reported by Mexican -Americans differed according to their spoken language, with English-s peaking Mexican-Americans of all ages more likely to report tobacco, a lcohol or illicit drug use than were corresponding Spanish-speaking Me xican-Americans. Awareness of the racial/ethnic and age differences in the rates of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use will assist physic ians in the early identification of and intervention with pregnant wom en who place themselves and their fetuses at increased risk of injury from substance use.