Page 49 - 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
also smoked cigarettes (Alvik, et al., 2006; Comasco, et al., 2012). Our non-significant finding is supported by research demonstrating that
prenatal smoking is associated with a lower socioeconomic status
(Lumley, et al., 2009), whereas prenatal alcohol use is associated with a
higher socioeconomic status (Perham-Hester & Gessner, 1997; Waterson,
et al., 1990). 2
Finally, the correlates of prenatal alcohol use found in the present Dutch study are generally consistent with the correlates found in other studies with Western populations (Perham-Hester, & Gessner, 1997; Chang, et al., 2007; Testa, & Reifman, 1996; Peadon, et al., 2011) and might therefore be valid in other countries as well.
Strengths and Limitations
This study has several strengths. This study is the first to differentiate between the three constructs of partner influence and to relate partner influence to prenatal alcohol use. Moreover, by studying the correlation between a pregnant woman’s perception and her partner’s report of his influence, this study demonstrated which constructs we can rely on the pregnant woman’s perception for interpretation and which constructs also require the partner’s report for interpretation. Still, uncertainty remains as to whether either the pregnant woman’s perception or the partner’s report reflects actual behavior. Finally, because we found that partner norm influences prenatal alcohol use, these findings suggest the importance of addressing both pregnant women and their partners in prenatal alcohol prevention programs.
This study is also subject to limitations. First, this study used a convenience sample of couples who were recruited by midwives. Thus, not all midwives may have been willing to participate, and participating midwives may have selected couples to invite for participation. As such, there may have been participation bias among those couples willing to participate. Indeed, the relatively high levels of education and income confirm participation bias, and unfortunately due to the
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