The prevalence of illicit‐drug or alcohol use during pregnancy and discrepancies in mandatory reporting in Pinellas County, Florida

Abstract

Florida requires the reporting of births to mothers who use drugs or\nalcohol during pregnancy. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence\nof substance abuse among pregnant women in Florida's Pinellas County, and to\ncorrelate this information with the number of new mothers reported to health\nauthorities for substance abuse during pregnancy. Urine samples were\ncollected from 380 pregnant women attending public clinics, and from 335 women\nreceiving private prenatal care. The samples were tested for alcohol,\nopiates, cocaine, and cannabinoids. While the study findings revealed that\nsubstance abuse is common among pregnant women regardless of race and\nsocioeconomic status, black and poor women are reported to health authorities\nmost often. The authors conclude that, if legally mandated reporting is to be\nfree of racial or economic bias, it must be based on objective medical\ncriteria. (KIE abstract)