Findings Announced in Conjunction with New Partnership Between FIRST RESPONSE and March of Dimes
PRINCETON, N.J., APRIL 20, 2005 -- There is significant difference in how women who have been pregnant cared for themselves during their first trimester depending on whether their pregnancies were planned or unplanned, according to the findings of a new survey released by FIRST RESPONSE® in conjunction with a new partnership with March of Dimes.
The data are part of a national poll of women between the ages 18 and 44 designed to examine attitudes and behaviors around pregnancy in the United States.
The survey shows the overwhelming majority of women who have been pregnant -- 94 percent -- say they made healthy choices while they were pregnant, including visiting the doctor regularly (88 percent) and taking prenatal or multivitamins (87 percent), among others.
However, the survey also reveals that women who are not trying to conceive when they become pregnant are less likely to get regular prenatal care or lessen alcohol intake during pregnancy. For example, one-fifth of women who became pregnant without trying (20 percent vs. 1 percent of those who have tried and become pregnant) say they did not undertake any medical or lifestyle changes to take care of themselves during pregnancy, such as visiting the doctor regularly, taking prenatal vitamins, or cutting down on stress. Regarding alcohol and caffeine, women who became pregnant without trying are also much less likely to have cut down on alcohol (48 percent, vs. 58 percent of those who tried and became pregnant) and caffeine (40 percent, vs. 65 percent of those who tried and became pregnant) during pregnancy.
According to Mary Jane Minkin, M.D., a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist in private practice in New Haven, Connecticut, and a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine, prenatal care during the first trimester, and cutting back or eliminating alcohol altogether, are critical basic steps to delivering a healthy, full-term baby. She added that other healthy measures include taking prenatal vitamins, reducing the use of caffeine, and stopping smoking.
“Many crucial stages in a baby's development occur before a woman may realize she is pregnant, even before she misses her first period,” Dr. Minkin said.
The survey is one of the activities being undertaken as part of a new partnership between FIRST RESPONSE and March of Dimes. As a national sponsor of WalkAmerica, the March of Dimes largest annual fund-raising event, and a sponsor of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, FIRST RESPONSE is supporting March of Dimes efforts to reach women of childbearing age about the importance of pre-pregnancy and early prenatal care.
"We're delighted that FIRST RESPONSE has joined forces with the March of Dimes,” said Robert Lucas, vice president of Corporate Relations for the March of Dimes. "Together, we hope to reach millions of women with vital information about how they can improve their chances of having a healthy baby.”
"There's a real synergy in our missions," agreed Craig Sheehan, FIRST RESPONSE senior product manager. “Our products were developed with women's healthcare as the focus. Our pregnancy tests are one of the first to detect the pregnancy hormone, which means women can find out if they are pregnant sooner, and, therefore, start their prenatal care sooner. Proper prenatal care is the first step to having a healthy baby.”
Methodology for the State of Pregnancy in America 2005 Study
Harris Interactive® conducted the online survey in the United States between January 7 and January 18, 2005 among 1,272 women aged 18-44, of whom 723 have been pregnant. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall sample have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Sampling error for the women who have tried and become pregnant (510) results is plus or minus 5 percentage points and for the women who have not tried but become pregnant (213) results is plus or minus 7 percentage points. This sample was not a probability sample.
First Response Products
For 20 years, FIRST RESPONSE has been helping women determine if they are pregnant. FIRST RESPONSE Early-Result Pregnancy Test is among the most sensitive pregnancy tests and detects the pregnancy hormone hCG at significantly lower levels than the other tests. In fact, it can be used five days sooner than the day of the missed period.
Ovulation tests are designed to detect the two most fertile days within a woman's cycle, the time that healthy women are most likely to conceive. FIRST RESPONSE Easy-Read Ovulation Test works by indicating when the LH level in a woman's urine increases and triggers ovulation. By helping women determine when these peak fertility days are, FIRST RESPONSE can help women get pregnant sooner.
FIRST RESPONSE products are distributed by Church & Dwight, Co. Inc. For more information, please visit FIRST REPONSE online at www.firstresponse.com
Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, N.Y.-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll(R) and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results.
Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries: London-based HI Europe (www.hieurope.com), Paris-based Novatris (www.novatris.com), Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan, through newly acquired WirthlinWorldwide, a Reston, Virginia-based research and consultancy firm ranked 25th largest in the world, and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies.
About the March of Dimes
WalkAmerica, the March of Dimes annual fund-raising event that helps saves babies, will be held in more than 1,100 communities across the country the weekend of April 30-May 1. Now in its 35th year, WalkAmerica brings people together to walk for someone they love and to help prevent prematurity, the leading cause of newborn death in this country. Every year, nearly half a million babies are born too early and, since 1981, the rate of premature birth in the U.S. has increased 29 percent. To register for WalkAmerica, visit www.walkamerica.org or call 1-800-525-WALK.
