Francesca Lama
University of Miami
Co-Authors: Amrit Baral1, Bria-Necole Diggs1, Cynthia Lebron1, Genester Wilson-King2, JoNell Potter1, Sarah E Messiah3, Denise C Vidot1
1University of Miami, 2Victory Rejuvenation Center, 3University of Texas
Background: Studies suggest some pregnant women use cannabis for symptom management or personal preference, despite medical advice against it. Reasons may vary by age group, though research in this area remains limited.
Objective: The objective of this study was to examine differences in reasons for cannabis use during pregnancy between 18-34-year-olds and ≥34 years.
Methods: The COVID-19 Cannabis Mom Study is a cross-sectional study (N=252) of women who were pregnant or breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-reported data was collected on cannabis use and pregnancy and breastfeeding history. This study is a subgroup analysis of the pregnant respondents (n=81; 32.1% of overall sample). Chi-squared/Fisher’s exact tests and descriptive statistics were used to analyze cannabis use, reasons for use, and type of cannabis consumed by age group (18-34-year-olds vs ≥34 years).
Results: The majority (90.1%) of the sample of pregnant women [mean 29.4y (SD = 5.0; range: 18-40), 63.9% non-Hispanic white] reported cannabis consumption in the past 30-days. There were no differences in the trimester of respondents by age (p=0.47). A higher proportion of younger adults were currently pregnant in the overall study (35.9%) compared to ≥ 34years (20.6%; p=0.024). While not statistically significant, a slightly higher proportion of 18–34-year-olds reported use to relieve stress/anxiety (78.7% vs. 58.3%, p=0.15), and manage pain (50.8% vs. 50.0%, p=0.96) than participants ≥ 34 years. A slightly higher proportion of ≥ 34 years consumed cannabis during pregnancy for nausea relief (83.3% vs 80.3%, p=0.81), vomiting relief (66.7% vs. 60.7%, p=0.76), managing a chronic health condition (16.7% vs. 11.5%, p=0.64), and enjoyment/relaxation (50.0% vs. 32.8%, p=0.33). A higher proportion of 18–34-year-olds consumed THC-dominant cannabis (62.7% vs. 58.3%, p=0.90); ≥ 34 years consumed a combination of CBD-THC (33.3% vs. 27.1%, p=0.89).
Conclusions: Results here showed no statistically significant differences by age group in reasons for cannabis use during pregnancy. Findings suggest that public health strategies to improve the health of women that consume cannabis during pregnancy be age-inclusive.