The local health unit is leading a study to look at preconception health knowledge and behaviour in people during their reproductive years (ages 15 to 49).
At the May 4 Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) meeting, medical officer of health Dr. Nicola Mercer presented board members with a report outlining a new preconception health study.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that [participants] are pregnant but we know 50% of pregnancies are often unplanned. So anybody in those years can become pregnant, so the concept of trying to be healthy prior to having a baby is very important,” Mercer explained.
The study is titled My Health eSnapshot: a preconception health research study.
Preconception health refers to the health of all individuals during their preconception years, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. It promotes healthy lifestyles and reducing risk to increase the chance of having a baby in the future, the report states.
“In the province of Ontario there have been very limited preconception health strategies in the province, especially those that target primary care,” Mercer explained.
“So we did a literature review as well as an environmental scan and a community survey looking at what is known and what could be known.”
The survey indicated patients preferred and were more likely to follow medical advice provided by their doctor or health care provider.
So WDGPH entered into an agreement with Boston Medical Centre in the development of an electronic preconception health risk assessment tool and an accompanying patient handout to be trialed in seven primary care facilities.
“It’s the first of its kind in Ontario and it actually has the potential to influence how preconception health can be addressed using technology and remembering … all of the people right now who are potentially able to get pregnant are of a younger age where technology is a part of their lifestyle … (it) is very important to move away from more traditional efforts where we looked at both prenatal and postnatal services with the whole concept of … preconception,” Mercer said.
The research question asks whether a patient-driven electronic preconception health risk assessment tool, provided in a primary health care setting, will increase preconception health knowledge and change the behaviour of reproductive-aged women.
The trials began in February and will run until June at seven primary care sites in Wellington County and Guelph. Public health will recruit 720 individuals to participate.
Patients in the trial use a tablet to complete the preconception health risk assessment tool prior to their primary care provider appointment.
The data will be added to the patient’s electronic medical records and will allow WDGPH researchers to access non-identifying information for research purposes.
The results will be evaluated from February to August. In addition to data collected in the initial phase, participants will receive an emailed survey one week and two months after their primary care provider visit so public health can assess how well the intervention is working. Interviews will also be conducted at the seven primary care sites to assess benefits, challenges and long-term sustainability of preconception health intervention with primary care providers.
“I’m just wondering how they were chosen because there will be people that it’s not appropriate for, given their … reproductive history,” asked board member Margaret Abbink. “Would the doctor choose which people would get it?”
Manager of reproductive health Liz Robson identified the eligibility criteria for the study.
“The women have to be a reproductive age, not pregnant, have not had a hysterectomy, able to speak English because we’ve only developed the tool in English at this point, comfortable using a tablet and right now, because it’s a study, not everyone that’s entering our seven pilot sites that are meeting this criteria … participate,” she said.
“They’re accepting about two per day and so we’re trying to be as random as possible at selection but obviously those individuals are being hand selected and making sure that it is an appropriate intervention for those individuals.”
The study received a $15,000 grant from Women’s College Hospital and the results are anticipated to be available by the end of 2016.
