Effective Strategies for Promoting Preconception Health—From Research to Practice

Abstract

The development and publication of this supplement of the American Journal of Health Promotion have provided an opportunity to connect with new partners in the field of preconception health education, assess the current state of the science on this topic, and note gaps in research that we hope readers will consider filling. As guest editors, we appreciate our colleagues who submitted articles for consideration, the guest reviewers for their time and willingness to serve, and the journal staff for their flexibility and support throughout the process. This supplement serves as a platform to elevate contributions made in the context of preconception health promotion since 2006 as well as to issue a call to action to expand the work being done in this important arena. Six years ago, in partnership with over 35 national organizations and hundreds of partners, a select panel of experts on preconception health issued a series of 4 goals, 10 recommendations, and over 40 action steps focused on improving the health and well-being of women and men of childbearing age. The recommendations addressed a number of domains, including consumer education, clinical care, advocacy and policy, research, and public health and community interventions. A complete list of the recommendations and action steps is included in the online version of this article (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwR/preview/ mmwrhtml/rr5506a1.htm). Four national workgroups were created to move this agenda forward based on these different domains. To catalyze action in the context of consumer education and health promotion, the National Preconception Health Consumer Workgroup was formed. A main charge of the consumer workgroup continues to be to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of men and women related to preconception health by using information that is relevant across various age groups, literacy levels, and cultural and ethnic groups. This journal issue on preconception health focuses mainly on women’s preconception health and is one example of the consumer workgroup’s efforts. In the context of women, preconception health refers to the health of a woman of childbearing age prior to or between pregnancies. The purpose of preconception care is to identify and modify biomedical, behavioral, and social risks to a woman’s health in order to maximize her health as well as that of any babies she may have in the future. Increasing awareness, knowledge, and engagement in preconception health practices among women and their partners are important objectives. Data suggest that pregnancy intentions can improve birth outcomes. Given the high infant mortality rates in the United States, particularly as compared to 28 other countries with better birth outcomes, this work is essential. Preconception health is unique as it is comprised of numerous components, including lifestyle (i.e., healthy weight, physical activity, smoking, drinking, substance use), screenings and vaccination (i.e., sexually transmitted infections, human immunodeficiency virus, rubella), and chronic disease management (i.e., diabetes, hypertension), along with family planning and exposure to teratogens, to name a few. Mass communication and clinician intervention about preconception health are challenging because of the volume of health topics within this issue and in light of the fact that half of all pregnancies are unplanned. Ultimately, a key task of the preconception health movement is to change social norms about the importance of the health of women and men and the impact it can have on their future reproductive goals. Formative research, education campaigns, and interventions on single health topics among women of childbearing age are well documented in the literature. However, less is known about how to effectively bundle and deliver a preconception health ‘‘package’’ to consumers in a way that resonates with them and motivates them to take action. One goal of this supplement is to inform this dialogue. In soliciting the content for this issue, we were particularly interested in preconception health audience research, advances in message development and dissemination strategies, and innovations in public and private partnerships, as well as insight into improving the preconception health of at-risk populations. A critical step in the process of developing and disseminating health promotion messages is to conduct audience Elizabeth W. Mitchell, PhD, is with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Prevention Research Branch, National, Atlanta, Georgia. Sarah Verbiest, DrPH, MSW, MPH, is with the Center for Maternal and Infant Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.