Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The main goal of this study is to publish findings on the lifestyle factors of pregnant women in Hungary and their impact on early childhood health status by examining changes over time and regional/geographical disparities. METHODS: The source of the data is the raw indicators reported by health visitors as per mandatory annual report data for the period of 1997-2019. To examine the association, we used indicators of pregnant women's states as explanatory variables (for example, pregnant women in very late care, prenatal smoking habits, and pregnant women without care), and the outcome indicators were prematurity, intrauterine malnutrition, and newborn babies with developmental disorders. A univariate Poisson regression was used to examine the correlations. RESULTS: Our results show a decreasing trend in the proportion of pregnant women who smoke and of pregnant women who apply late for care (after 28 weeks of pregnancy), with an increasing indicator of regional differences. The research results of the prenatal and perinatal indicators show that the counties Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg are the most critical areas in terms of health status in Hungary. The number of pregnancies attended very late (after 28 weeks) and the number of women who gave birth without health visitor care are associated with the number of preterm births (R(2) = 0.7313; p < 0.001; R(2) = 0.5519; p < 0.001) and intrauterine growth restrictions (R(2) = 0.3306; p < 0.001; R(2) = 0.2632; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Interventions to improve early childhood health in some counties of Hungary are urgently needed to reduce regional disparities. Such counties include Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Heves, Somogy, Bács-Kiskun, and Nógrád. Health education for pregnant women and activities to strengthen the compliance of pregnant women are key to improving early childhood health outcomes.