Page 39 - Zero for nine: Reducing alcohol use during pregnancy via health counselling and Internet-based computer-tailored feedback

Partner’s influences and other correlates of prenatal alcohol use
my baby’s health; α = .81), and seven questions measured disadvantages
(e.g. If I do not drink alcohol in pregnancy I feel more stressed; α = .83).
Social influences were assessed using three items, which were measured
on a 5-point scale (1 = fully disagree; 5 = fully agree) to determine the
pregnant woman’s perception of her partner’s influence. These items
concerned perceived norms (My partner considers it important that I do 2 not drink alcohol in pregnancy), perceived modeling (My partner does
not drink alcohol in my presence) and perceived support (My partner supports me in drinking no alcohol during pregnancy). Self-efficacy was measured by ten items asking respondents to indicate the level of difficulty with abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy on a 5-point scale (1 = very difficult; 5 = not difficult at all). The scree plot of a factor analysis using oblimin rotation revealed two underlying factors that explained 67 percent of the variation. Five items loaded on the social self-efficacy factor (e.g. When my friends are drinking alcohol; α = .87); and five items loaded on the stress self-efficacy factor (e.g. When I am feeling sad; α = .85).
Prenatal alcohol use by the pregnant woman was the outcome variable. Because even light alcohol use may pose a risk to the fetus (Nathanson, Jayesinghe, & Roycroft, 2007), and complete alcohol abstinence is recommended in many countries (O’Leary, et al., 2007), including the Netherlands (Health Council of the Netherlands, 2005), we divided our respondents into two groups based on their answer to the question: Have you consumed alcohol since you knew you were pregnant, even if you had only one sip? (0 = no; 1 = yes)
Questionnaire for Partners
Partner demographics were measured by the same four items used to assess the pregnant women’s demographics (age, education, income and marital status). In addition, partners were asked if this pregnancy was the first he had experienced as a partner (0 = no; 1 = yes).
Partner influence was assessed by the following questions. One item measured the partner’s reported norm (I believe that my partner should not drink any alcohol while she is pregnant; 0 = no; 1 = yes). The partner’s
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