The scope of interventions into social problems is based on an accurate assessment of the nature of that problem. An accurate, biased or ambiguous analysis has serious consequences for the efficacy of social interventions. This may indeed be the case with studies on the prevalence of prenatal drug use. This paper examines 23 studies conducted since 1980 and finds that the data have a number of serious methodological issues that compromise their utility in determining the breadth and characteristics of the problem.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BrentR.L.BeckmanD.A.1992Principles of teratology. In Reproductive Risks and Prenatal Diagnosis. ed. EvansB., Conn: Appleton and Lange43–68.
2.
ChasnoffI.J.LandressH.J.BarrettM.E.1990The prevalence of illicit drug or alcohol use during pregnancy and discrepancies in reporting in Pinellas County, Florida. New England Journal of Medicine322(17):1202–1206.
3.
ChavkinW.1989Help, don't jail addicted women. New York Times, July 18, A21.
4.
DickerM.LeightonE.A.1994Trends in the U.S. Prevalence of drug-using parturient women and drug-affected newborns. American Journal of Public Health84(9):1433–1438.
5.
DickerM.LeightonE.A.1991Trends in diagnosed drug problems among newborns; United States 1979–1987. Drug and Alcohol Dependence28:151–165.
6.
FinneganL.D.1994Release of findings from NIDA's national pregnancy and health survey. September 12.
7.
FrankD.ZuckermanB.S.AmaroH.1988Cocaine use during pregnancy: Prevalence and correlates. Pediatrics82:888–895.
8.
FriedP.A.WatkinsonB.GrantA.KnightR.M.1980Changing patterns of soft drug use prior to and during pregnancy: A prospective study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence6:323–343.
9.
GeorgeS.K.PriceJ.HauthJ.C.BarnetteD.M.PrestonP.1991Drug abuse screening of childbearing women in Alabama public health clinics. American Journal of Obstetrics And Gynecology165:924–927.
10.
GombyD.S.ShionoP.H.1991Estimating the number of substance-exposed infants. Future Of Children1(1):17–25.
11.
HollinsheadW.H.GriffinJ.F.ScottH.D.BurkeM.E.CoustanD.R.VestT.A.1990Statewide prevalence of illicit drug use by pregnant women-Rhode Island. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report39 (14):225–227.
12.
JacobsonS.W.JacobsonJ.L.SokolR.J.MartierS.S.AgerJ.W.KaplanM.G.1991Maternal recall of alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana use during pregnancy. Neurotoxicology and Teratology13:535–540.
13.
KruseJ.LeFevreM.ZweigS.1986Changes in smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy: A population-based study in a rural area. Obstetrics and Gynecology67:627–632.
14.
LesterB.M.FreierK.LaGasseL.1995Prenatal cocaine exposure and child outcome: What do we really know? In Cocaine Mothers And Cocaine Babies: The Role Of Toxins In Development, eds. LewisM.BenderskyM., 19–39. Hillsdale, NJ:Lawrence Erlbau Associates, Publishers.
15.
MacKenzieR.G.ChengM.HaftelA.J.1987The clinical utility and evaluation of drug screening techniques. Pediatric Clinics of North America34(2):423–436.
NaltyD.F.SappenfieldW.H.ColleyB.J.GabelH.D.PeaseM.WilliamsE.R., 1991South Carolina prevalence study of drug use among women giving birth. State Council on Maternal and Child Health.
18.
National Association for Perinatal Addiction Research and Education1992Epidemiological Study of the Prevalence of alcohol and other drug use among pregnant and parturient women in Illinois.
19.
NeerhofM.MacGregorS.RetzkyS.SullivanT.1989Cocaine abuse during pregnancy: Peripartum prevalence and perinatal outcome. American Journal of Obstetrics And Gynecology161:633–638.
20.
NeyJ.A.DooleyS.L.KeithL.G.ChasnoffI.J.1990The prevalence of substance abuse in patients with suspected preterm labor. American Journal of Obstetrics And Gynecology162:1562–1565.
21.
OsterlohJ.LeeB.1989Urine screening in mothers and newborns. American Journal of Diseases Children143:791–793.
22.
OstreaE.M.1992Detection of prenatal drug exposure in the pregnant woman and her newborn infant. National Instuitute on Drug Abuse Research Monographs117:61–79.
23.
OstreaE.M.BradyM.GauseS.RaymundoA.L.StevensM.1992Drug screening of newborns by meconium analysis: A large Scale, prospective, epidemiologic study. Pediatrics89(1):107–113.
24.
PeguesD.A.EngelgauM.M.WoernleC.H.1994Prevalence of illicit drugs detected in the urine of women of childbearing age in Alabama public health clinics. Public Health Reports109 (4):530–538.
25.
RayburnW.Wible-KantJ.BledsoeP.1982Changing trends in drug use during pregnancy. Journal of Reproductive Medicine27:569–575.
26.
ReddinP.SchlimmerB.MitchellC.1991Cocaine and pregnant women: A hospital study. Iowa Medicine81:374–376.
27.
SloanB.GayJ.W.SynderS.W.BalesW.R.1992Substance abuse during pregnancy in a rural population. Obstetrics and Gynecology79(2):245–248.
28.
U.S. Bureau of the Census1993Statistical Abstract of the United States, 13th ed.Washington, DC:415.
29.
VegaW.A.KolodyB.HwangJ.NobleA.1993Prevalence and magnitude of perinatal substance exposures in California. New England Journal of Medicine329(12):850–854.
30.
ZambranaR.E.HernandezM.Dunkel-SchetterC.ScrinshawS.C.M.1991Ethnic differences in the substance use patterns of low income women. Family and Community Health13(4):1–11.
31.
ZuckermanB.AmaroH.CabralH.1989Validity of self reporting of marijuana and cocaine use among pregnant adolescents. Journal of Pediatrics115:812–815.
