Abstract
Assessment of the impact of maternal alcohol consumption and other substance abuse during pregnancy on newborn size was accomplished by a two year study of 1,690 mother-infant pairs. Mothers were interviewed in hospital after delivery. 328 were also interviewed prenatally. Infants were examined at 1-3 days of age by one of 4 M.D.'s for growth, morphologic, and neurologic parameters. The sample was 59% Black, 22% Hispanic, 19% white; young (12% < 18); poor (88% annual income < $6,000) and poorly nourished. Prenatal and hospital interviews yielded similar results. The 1.8% of women who reported heavy drinking (3+ drinks/day) during pregnancy when compared with 64.5% abstainers were more likely to smoke (48% vs. 14%) and use drugs (marijuana 51% vs. 9%, psychoactive drugs 4% vs. 1%) all P ≤ .0001. Stepwise multiple regressions examined the relative impact of interrelated variables including social, demographic, and pregnancy history factors on birth weight, length, head circ. (HC) and gestational age (GA). GA accounted for the largest variance in newborn size (22-29%). An additional 8-13% was explained by maternal age, pre-pregnancy weight, weight change during pregnancy, race, smoking, illness, and marijuana use (each significant P ≤ .05). These results add marijuana as a previously unreported factor affecting fetal growth.
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