Abstract P170: Cardiovascular-related Pregnancy Complications: Associations With Health Behaviors And Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Pregnancies with cardiovascular (CV) complications are more likely to involve additional complications, poorer short and long-term health, and worse fetal outcomes. Additionally, CV complications are associated with poorer mental health, lower socioeconomic status, and non-White race/ethnicity. The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative effects on mental well-being and disproportionately affects people of lower socioeconomic status and non-White race/ethnicity. Thus, we hypothesized that the pandemic would differentially affect pregnant people with and without CV complications. We performed a cross-sectional survey of 465 pregnant people in California from June 6 through July 29, 2020. Twenty-three participants reported CV complications (e.g., hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes) and 29 participants reported non-CV complications. The CV group was 56.5% (13 of 23) Latinx and 43.5% (10 of 23) White versus the uncomplicated pregnancy group, which was 33.7% (137 of 407) Latinx and 66.3% (270 of 407) White (chi-square, p=0.03; 6 respondents did not answer). The CV complications group was 9.5% (2 of 21) African American and the uncomplicated pregnancy group was 4.9% (19 of 392) African American (Fisher’s Exact, p=0.053; 23 respondents did not answer). We assessed 64 health behaviors reported on a Likert scale with the Wilcoxon 2-Sample Test and found the CV group reported more health-promoting behaviors, including: less likely to eat sweets (p=0.004), more likely to sanitize frequently used areas in their homes and their groceries (p=0.049 and 0.069, respectively). However, they were also more likely to smoke cigarettes (p=0.02). While the two groups did not differ significantly on stress, depression, or anxiety, the CV group was more likely to worry that their babies may be hospitalized after birth (p=0.01) and their provider may be unavailable during delivery (p=0.047). Concerns for self and baby trended towards significance for the CV group, which reported being more likely to worry about getting sick (p=0.077) and their babies being born early (p=0.079) or getting sick (p=0.098). While preliminary, these data suggest that COVID-19 disproportionately affects pregnant people with prenatal CV complications. Given limited research on pregnancy during COVID-19 and the primary focus on biological outcomes, these findings indicate a clear need to address the pandemic’s influence on behavioral and emotional health during pregnancy - especially for those with CV complications who are at higher risk of poor maternal and fetal outcomes.