Table 5 Literature on Unhealthy Maternal Behaviors and its Influence on Fetal and Child Development
From: Maternal health behaviors during pregnancy in rural Northwestern China
Category | Unhealthy maternal behaviors | Influence on child development | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
Exposures to unhealthy substances | Exposure to tobacco (including second-hand smoke) | Increases child’s risk for asthma and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) | He [26] Román [55] Hernández-MartÃnez [7] Rodriguez [62] |
Alcohol consumption | Affects child brain development, damages selective brain structures, and increases the risk of growth retardation; Mothers who consumed alcohol during pregnancy were also at elevated risk of experiencing placental abruption | Aliyu [8] Jones [63] Isaksen [64] Nilsson [65] | |
Exposure to toxins, such as pesticides | Negatively impacts birth weight and brain development | Bouchard [41] Currie [66] | |
Exposure to radiation | Associated with prenatal death, intrauterine growth restriction, smaller head size, intellectual disability, organ malformation, and childhood cancer | Williams [42] | |
Inadequate maternal nutrition | Inadequate folic acid consumption in early pregnancy | Increases risk for neural tube defects | McStay [67] Yang [22] |
Out of standard range for pre-pregnancy maternal Body Mass Index (BMI) and pregnancy weight gain | Associated with higher risks of low birth weight and preterm birth and increased risk of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological disorders later in life | Pan [25] Rivera [62] Diouf [68] Stang [69] | |
Low dietary diversity | Increased risk of low birth weight and preterm birth | Yang [22] Zerfu [9] | |
Inadequate antenatal care | Less than the recommended number of antenatal visits | Increased risk of intrauterine growth retardation and low birth weight | Vogel [24] |
Later than recommended first antenatal visit | Increased risk of low birth weight and infant mortality | Khanal [70] |