Alcohol use during pregnancy in post-conflict northern Uganda: pregnant women's experiences and provider perceptions

Practices of pregnant women regarding tobacco and alcohol use during pregnancy at one primary health care clinic in Southern Namibia

Tobacco and alcohol use during pregnancy has negative consequences, to the fetus. The study purpose was to investigate the practices of pregnant women regarding the use of tobacco and alcohol during pregnancy. A quantitative research approach with a descriptive, cross-sectional, analytical design was used. The population were all pregnant women aged 18 years and above attending antenatal care at Mariental clinic. Written informed consent was obtained from all respondents prior to data collection. Data was collected from 211 respondents selected through a systematic sampling. Data was analysed using Statistical Package of the Social Sciences version 27. Descriptive statistics were used for frequencies and percentages. Fisher's Exact test at 0.05 alpha level was used to determine the association between variables. The mean age was 28.8 with a standard deviation of 6.9 years. Most participants, 92 (43.6%) were aged between 18 and 24 years. Majority, 186 (88.15%) were in third trimester of pregnancy and 154 (73%) were single. Most 148 (70.14%) respondents have good practices towards alcohol use during pregnancy. Moreover, 190 (90%) of the respondents were classified as having good practices towards tobacco use in pregnancy. Educational levels showed a significant association with practices towards tobacco smoking (P=0.042). The study concluded good practices among pregnant women on alcohol and tobacco smoking during pregnancy. It is recommended that health facilities should introduce awareness campaign on the dangers of alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy. Moreover, educational materials should be developed in local languages and distributed to community.

Effect of a communication intervention on alcohol use during pregnancy in post conflict Northern Uganda: a quasi experimental study

BACKGROUND

Alcohol use during pregnancy is a preventable risk factor for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders. Psycho-social and educational interventions have been reported to enable women reduce alcohol intake levels during pregnancy and help improve some health outcomes of unhealthy alcohol use. We set out to assess the effect of a communication intervention on alcohol use during pregnancy in post conflict northern Uganda.

METHODS

The study employed a quasi - experimental design to assess the effect of a community health worker led communication strategy on pregnant women's knowledge, attitudes and various patterns of alcohol use using Difference in Difference(DiD). 420 respondents were recruited at baseline as at endline.

RESULTS

The communication messages were significantly associated with reduced odds of binge drinking (P = 0.018; OR = 0.09; CI = 0.012-0.66). Also those who received the intervention were less likely to drink frequently (P = 0.80; OR = 0.75; 95%CI = 0.074-7.5) or be harmful alcohol users(P = 0.948). The intervention also positively influenced having fair (β =0.49;P = 0.217;RRR =1.63)or adequate knowledge(β = 0.89;P = 0.25;RRR = 2.44) and having positive(β = 0.37;RRR =1.44;P = 0.46) or fair attitude(β = 0.19;RRR = 1.21; P = 0.693) although not to a significant level.

CONCLUSIONS

The communication intervention affected some patterns of alcohol use among pregnant women and not others. Our results contribute to existing evidence that communication interventions are a promising approach in reduction of alcohol exposed pregnancies. Interventions aimed at promoting alcohol abstinence during pregnancy should be implemented alongside other strategies that address factors that influence pregnant women to drink to achieve maximum results.

May alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks affect the rate of orthodontic tooth movement? A systematic review of animal studies

BACKGROUND

Humans may consume various beverages in everyday life. Previous research has shown that the administration of different substances (medicinal or not) may affect bone turnover and, thus, orthodontic tooth movement. It would be anticipated that the substances contained in beverages could have an impact on tooth movement, as well.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate in a systematic way and appraise the quality of the available evidence from animal studies regarding the impact of various drinks or the main ingredients included in beverages on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement.

SEARCH METHODS

Search without restriction in six databases (including grey literature) and hand searching were performed until March 2022.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We looked for controlled animal studies investigating the effect of drinks, or the main ingredients included in beverages, on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

After study retrieval and selection, relevant data was extracted, and the risk of bias was assessed using the SYRCLE's Risk of Bias Tool. The quality of available evidence was assessed with the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.

RESULTS

The initially identified records were finally reduced to nine studies conducted on animals. Carbonated soft drinks were shown to decrease the rate of tooth movement, but alcohol consumption did not have an impact. Exploratory meta-analysis showed that caffeine exhibited an acceleratory effect after 3 weeks of force application. Exploratory meta-regression results indicated that high dosages of caffeine reduced the rate of tooth movement.

CONCLUSIONS

The located animal experiments reported that caffeine accelerates, carbonated drinks decelerate, while alcohol does not affect the rate of orthodontic tooth movement. However, due to various limitations it remains unclear whether caffeine, alcohol, or carbonated drinks finally influence tooth movement in animal studies.

REGISTRATION

Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/jyhbd/).