Prevalence and factors associated with alcohol consumption among pregnant women at Bugembe HCIV-Jinja Uganda

Abstract

Background: Uganda has the seventh-highest rate of alcohol consumption in the African region, with a prevalence of 9.8% for alcohol use disorders. The rate of alcohol use in pregnancy has not been reported in the Eastern region. Therefore, this study sought to establish the prevalence, motivators and factors associated with alcohol use in pregnancy in this region. Objective: To determine the prevalence, motivators and factors associated with alcohol use among pregnant women to inform interventions aimed at reducing the burden and effects of alcohol use in pregnancy. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. Eligible participants were pregnant women aged between 15-45 years at the time of the interview. Quantitative data were analyzed using Stata (version 15) software. Descriptive analyses were done for all sociodemographic, psychological and biological factors to determine the proportion of pregnant women reporting alcohol use. Bivariate modified Poisson regression followed by multivariate modified Poisson regression were used to determine the associations between alcohol use and several sociodemographic, biological and psychological factors. Statistical significance of differences was considered at p< 0.05. Qualitative interviews were conducted by interview guides and data analyzed by manual thematic content analysis method. Results: Of the 336 respondents, 206(61.3%) were aged 15-24 years, 171(50.9%) had secondary education, and 262(78.6%) were married. The prevalence of alcohol use during the current pregnancy was 14.3% (95% CI 10.9-18.5%). Factors that were significantly associated with alcohol use were: being a professional (aPR 5.25, 95% CI 1.44-19.09, p=0.012), multigravidity (aPR 3.16, 95% CI 1.23-8.15, p=0.017), not married (aPR2.34, 95% CI 1.39-3.95, p=0.001) and living with HIV (aPR 1.95, 95% CI 1.14-3.33, p=0.013). Most women consumed alcohol to cope with physical, economic, and psychological challenges such as poverty, abusive partners, pregnancy related disturbances due to hormonal changes, family related stress and craving. Conclusion: Alcohol consumption was moderately high among antenatal care attendees at Bugembe HC IV. Targeted interventions such as counselling are critical for addressing the different challenges faced by pregnant women as this will help to reduce alcohol consumption among pregnant women.