Women's Health Issues
Volume 18, Issue 1 , Pages 17-25 , January 2008

Women’s Perceived Control of Their Birth Outcomes in the Central Pennsylvania Women’s Health Study: Implications for the Use of Preconception Care

  • Carol S. Weisman, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Pennsylvania State University Collage of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
    • Carol S. Weisman, PhD, is Professor of Public Health Sciences and Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Director of the Central Pennsylvania Center of Excellence for Research on Pregnancy Outcomes at the Penn State College of Medicine. Her research focuses on women’s health care and policy.
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Carol S. Weisman, PhD, Penn State College of Medicine, 600 Centerview Drive, Hershey, PA. Fax: 717-531-0839.
    • ,
  • Marianne M. Hillemeier, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
    • Marianne M. Hillemeier, PhD, MPH, is Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Administration and Demography at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests focus on maternal and child health and health disparities.
    • ,
  • Gary A. Chase, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Pennsylvania State University Collage of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
    • Gary A. Chase, PhD, is Professor of Public Health Sciences and Chief of the Division of Biostatistics at the Penn State College of Medicine. he has served as principle statistician on a number of projects related to public health and infant outcomes.
    • ,
  • Dawn P. Misra, PhD

      Affiliations

    • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
    • Dawn P. Misra, PhD, is Associate Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She is a perinatal epidemiologist with a principal interest in maternal and child health.
    • ,
  • Cynthia H. Chuang, MD

      Affiliations

    • Pennsylvania State University Collage of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
    • Cynthia H. Chuang, MD, is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine. Her research focuses on reproductive health care for women with chronic medical conditions.
    • ,
  • Roxanne Parrott, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
    • Roxanne Parrott, PhD, is Professor of Communication Arts & Sciences and Director of the Center for Health & Risk Communications at Pennsylvania State University. She is a health communication researcher with interest in women’s health.
    • ,
  • Anne-Marie Dyer, MS

      Affiliations

    • Pennsylvania State University Collage of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
    • Anne-Marie Dyer, MS, is a biostatistician in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine. Her interests include the analysis of categorical data in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.

Received 18 June 2007 ,Revised 7 August 2007

References 

  1. Andersen RM. Revisiting the behavioral model and access to medical care: Does it matter?. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 1995;36:1–10
  2. Atkins L, Fallowfield L. Intentional and non-intentional non-adherence to medication amongst breast cancer patients. European Journal of Cancer. 2006;42:2271–2276
  3. Anderson JE, Ebrahim S, Floyd L, Atrash H. Prevalence of risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes during pregnancy and the preconception period—United States, 2002–2004. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2006;10:S101–S106
  4. Biermann J, Dunlop AL, Brady C, Dubin C, Brann A. Promising practices in preconception care for women at risk for poor health and pregnancy outcomes. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2006;10:S21–S28
  5. Calfee CS, Katz PP, Yelin EH, Iribarren C, Eisner MD. The influence of perceived control of asthma on health outcomes. Chest. 2006;130:1312–1318
  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Recommendations to improve preconception health and health care—United States: A report of the CDC/ATSDR Preconception Care Work Group and the Select Panel on Preconception Care. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2006;55:1–23
  7. Curtin R, Presser S, Singer E. Changes in telephone survey nonresponse over the past quarter century. Public Opinion Quarterly. 2005;69:87–98
  8. Fetzer Institute. Multidimensional measurement of religiousness/spirituality for use in health research: A report of the Fetzer Institute/National Institute of Aging Working Group. Kalamazoo, MI: Author; 2003;
  9. Finer LB, Henshaw SK. Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. 2006;38:90–96
  10. Frey KA, Files JA. Preconception healthcare: what women know and believe. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 2006;10:S73–S77
  11. Gili M, Roca M, Ferrer V, Obrador A, Cabeza E. Psychosocial factors associated with the adherence to a colorectal cancer screening program. Cancer Detection and Prevention. 2006;30:354–360
  12. Johnson KA. Public finance policy strategies to increase access to preconception care. Maternal Child Health Journal. 2006;10:S85–S91
  13. Koenig HG, McCullough ME, Lareson DB. Handbook of Religion and Health. New York: Oxford University Press; 2001;
  14. Koo M, Krass I, Aslani P. Enhancing patient education about medicines: factors influencing reading and seeking of written medicine information. Health Expectations. 2006;9:174–187
  15. Labs SM, Wurtele SK. Fetal health locus of control scale: development and validation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 1986;54:814–819
  16. Lefcourt HM. Locus of control. In:  Robinson JP,  Shaver PR,  Wrightsman LS editor. Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes. San Diego: Academic Press; 1991;
  17. Lumley MA, Zamerowski ST, Jackson L, Dukes K, Sullivan L. Psychosocial correlates of pregnant women’s attitudes toward prenatal maternal serum screening and invasive diagnostic testing: Beyond traditional risk status. Genetic Testing. 2006;10:131–138
  18. Misra DP, Guyer B, Allston A. Integrated perinatal health framework: A multiple determinants model with a life span approach. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2003;25:65–75
  19. Misra DP, O’Campo P, Strobino D. Testing a sociomedical model for preterm delivery. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. 2001;15:110–122
  20. Roberts JM, Pearson G, Cutler J, Lindheimer M. Summary of the NHLBI Working Group on Research on Hypertension During Pregnancy. Hypertension. 2003;41:437–445
  21. Rotter JB. Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs. 1966;80:1–28
  22. Sherbourne CD, Dwight-Johnson M, Klap R. Psychological distress, unmet need, and barriers to mental health care for women. Women’s Health Issues. 2001;11:231–243
  23. Tinsley BJ, Holtgrave DR. Maternal health locus of control beliefs, utilization of childhood preventive health services, and infant health. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. 1989;10:236–241
  24. Wallston KA, Wallston BS, DeVellis RF. Development of the multi-dimensional health locus of control (MHCL) scale. Health Education Monographs. 1978;6:161–170
  25. Ware JE, Kosinski M, Turner-Bowker DM, Gandek B. How to score version 2 of the SF-12 Health Survey. RI: Lincoln: QualityMetric Incorporated; 2002;
  26. Weisman CS, Hillemeier MM, Chase GA, Dyer AM, Baker SA, Feinberg M, et al. Preconceptional health: risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes by reproductive life stage in the Central Pennsylvania Women’s Health Study (CePAWHS). Women’s Health Issues. 2006;16:216–224

 Funded, in part, under grant number 4100020719 with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The Department specifically disclaims responsibility for any analyses, interpretations or conclusions.

PII: S1049-3867(07)00114-4

doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2007.08.001

Women's Health Issues
Volume 18, Issue 1 , Pages 17-25 , January 2008

Article Tools