[Perception of reproductive risk factors]. / Percepción de factores de riesgo reproductivo.

ABSTRACT

PIP: 405 lower class women aged 12-44 in the Delegacion Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City, were interviewed in their homes in an effort to identify patterns in their perceptions of reproductive risk factors. The women were interviewed in late 1989 with a largely precoded questionnaire containing items described in the literature as risk factors for pregnancy, low birth weight, and birth defects. 7.9% of the respondents were 12-15 years old, 17.3% were 16-20, 37.0% were 21-30, 24.4% were 31-40, and 13.3% were 41-44. 24.9% were single, 59.5% were married, and 12.0% were in free union. 7.9% had no education, 33.8% had primary, 33.8% secondary, 20.9% preparatory, and 3.5% professional educations. Among the 300 women who had children, 23.6% had 1, 48.9% had 2-3, and 28.3% had 4 or more. 22.7% had histories of abortion, 1.3% of stillbirths, 15.7% of premature labor, 11.3% of low birth weight infants, 4.7% of neonatal deaths, and 5.0% of infant death. 62.2% perceived the risk of pregnancy at 17 years or younger, 78.8% the risk of pregnancy at age 35 or over, 70.6% the risk of a 5th or higher order pregnancy, and 55.1% the risk of a birth interval of less than 2 years. The majority perceived smoking, drinking alcohol, untreated pathologies during pregnancy, and inadequate nutrition to be risk factors. 27.7% identified a history of low birth weight infants and 61.0% birth intervals of 1 year or less as risk factors for low birth weight. 60.5% recognized family history of birth defects, 80.2% maternal age of 35 or over, and 84.4% rubella during pregnancy as risk factors for congenital malformations. The influence of sociodemographic and obstetric variables on perception of risks was inconsistent and no linear correlations were detected. Health educators should recognize differences in levels of knowledge and behavior in the target population when the educational program is designed.