The present condition of health in the perinatal period in Aomori Prefecture (part 3)

Infant mortality in Aomori Prefecture is the lowest in Japan. Therefore, the present study was conducted in order to investigate the state of prenatal healthcare in Aomori Prefecture. Beginning in 2003, all pregnant women in Aomori were surveyed three times over the course of their pregnancies (first trimester, second trimester, and following delivery). The results of the third, or postpartum, survey are the focus of the present study. Among expectant women and nursing mothers, health consciousness and the amount of sleep they received were found to be affected by their daily infant care responsibilities. In addition, concern among family members was found to be good. Furthermore, an increase in the number of nursing mothers reporting alcohol and tobacco use was observed in comparison to the findings of the first and second surveys. These results suggest that pregnant and puerperal women who felt adversity and fear in their delivery experience tended to have negative feelings in the subsequent nursing period; thus, respect and understanding for pregnant and puerperal women was assumed to be important for the medical personnel involved with the delivery. Regarding health guidance, it was considered necessary to consider the local characteristics of Aomori Prefecture when dealing with emergency situations.国立情報学研究所の「学術雑誌公開支援事業」により電子化されました