Drugs during pregnancy in low-risk prenatal care and associated factors

Objective: To identify the prevalence of the use of legal and illicit drugs by pregnant women who received prenatal care in Primary Health Care and factors associated with their usage. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out using a structured script, composed of gestational sociodemographic variables and drug use by pregnant women and their families, applied to 270 women undergoing low-risk prenatal care at 15 Basic Health Units, in two municipalities in a metropolitan region of Southern Brazil, where there are negative socioeconomic and demographic differences in relation to the hub city. Data collection took place from December 2019 to February 2020. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square test, with associations with a value of p<0.05 being considered significant. Results: Young people aged 25 to 35 accounted for 77% of the sample; brown/black were 60.4%; multigravidae accounted for 41.8% (with more than three children). 86.6% had a steady marital partner. The prevalence of current drug use was 46.2%. There was a statistically significant association between alcohol consumption and having had pregnancy complications (odds ratio of 2.5; confidence interval of 1.17-5.22); between marijuana consumption and the age of 15 to 19 years (odds ratio of 2.7; confidence interval of 1.01-7.03); between tobacco consumption and drug use by the husband (odds ratio of 4.1; confidence interval of 1.75-9.55) and between tobacco use and single-parent family classification (odds ratio of 6.6 ; confidence interval 1.55 - 28.43). Conclusion: The prevalence between current usage and lifetime use was high. The multipregnancies in women were undergoing low-risk prenatal care. Drug use, age, drug use by the husband and single-parent family classification were associated with gestational complications.