Abstract
Background: The prevalence of cannabis use among pregnant individuals in Canada is increasing. In the design of new cohort studies to evaluate the patterns and outcomes of cannabis use in pregnancy, consideration must be given to the factors influencing participation, data sharing, and contribution of biological samples. Our objective was to assess the willingness of pregnant individuals to participate in prospective research during pregnancy. Methods: We surveyed pregnant individuals receiving obstetrical care through The Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, Canada. The survey consisted of 23 dichotomous (yes/no), multiple-choice, Likert scale, and open-ended questions. Individuals were provided with a hypothetical research scenario and asked to report on the likelihood of their participation, use and storage of personal health information and contribution of maternal and newborn samples. Individuals provided motivating and deterring factors related to research participation. Descriptive statistics included frequencies (n) and percentages (%) for categorical variables. Continuous variables were described using means and standard deviations. Results: A total of 84 survey responses were collected. The mean age of respondents was 32.6(±5.3) years. Respondents were predominantly Caucasian (79%), college/university educated (85%) with a household income of ≥$100,000 (64%). There was a high degree of willingness to participate in prospective research by sharing data and biological samples. The most commonly cited motivating and deterring factors for participating in future research were a desire to contribute to science and health information (79%) and fear of privacy invasion (17%), respectively. Conclusions: Pregnant individuals receiving care at The Ottawa Hospital are willing to participate in prospective research studies, including those related to cannabis use. Survey respondents were predominantly of higher socioeconomic status, and few individuals reported cannabis use during pregnancy. Future studies should accommodate multiple recruitment strategies and flexible study designs to encourage enrollment from and retention across diverse sociodemographic communities.
Highlights
The prevalence of cannabis use among pregnant individuals in Canada is increasing
These increases are notable among individuals 15-24 years old, among whom self-reported cannabis use in pregnancy has increased to more than 6% in recent years.[2]. Such findings are a significant public health concern given accumulating evidence suggesting an association between cannabis use in pregnancy and risk of stillbirth, small for gestational age, lower birth weight, and increased admission to neonatal intensive care compared with infants without cannabis exposure.[1,3,4,5]
Information on the frequency, timing, dose and intake method of cannabis use is essential for inferring its health impacts on exposed individuals, population-based data on cannabis use in pregnancy are frequently lacking this level of information
Summary
The prevalence of cannabis use among pregnant individuals in Canada is increasing. In Ontario, self-reported cannabis use in pregnancy increased from 1.2% in 2012 to 1.8% in 2017, a relative increase of 61%.1 These increases are notable among individuals 15-24 years old, among whom self-reported cannabis use in pregnancy has increased to more than 6% in recent years.[2]. In Ontario, self-reported cannabis use in pregnancy increased from 1.2% in 2012 to 1.8% in 2017, a relative increase of 61%.1. Reports based on prospective data collection are few and frequently limited by small sample sizes, reliance on self-reported data and other methodological challenges.[9,10] Cannabis use in pregnancy is associated with negative social stigma and perceived consequences of reporting drug use in pregnancy, such as fear of losing children and fear of prejudicial treatment,[11] may dissuade individuals from participating in research or accurately disclosing their drugrelated habits. In the design of new cohort studies to evaluate the patterns and outcomes of cannabis use in pregnancy, consideration must be given to the factors influencing participation, data sharing, and contribution of biological samples.
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