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Abstract
In many countries, not drinking alcohol during pregnancy is strongly recommended, since consuming alcohol can be hazardous for the unborn child. Despite this, a number of women drink alcohol while pregnant. The two objectives of the study were to identify (1) the determinants of intention to abstain from drinking alcohol while pregnant among 167 women of childbearing age between 18 and 44 years and (2) the factors that programmes promoting alcohol abstinence during pregnancy should consider. Data were collected using a questionnaire based on an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour. A large majority of the participants reported consuming alcohol on a regular basis. Although most of them expressed a strong intention to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy, about one woman in four did not have a firm intention. A logistic regression analysis revealed that the four determinants of intention were moral norm (odds ratio (OR) = 12.97; 95% confidence interval (CI95%): 3.83–43.91), anticipated regret (OR = 11.43; CI95%: 3.46–37.75), attitude (OR = 7.49; CI95%: 2.37–23.64) and perceived behavioural control (OR = 3.60; CI95% 1.11–11.65). Moreover, a discriminant analysis identified specific beliefs significantly related to intention not to consume alcohol while pregnant. These results can prove useful in guiding the development of a programme promoting alcohol abstinence among women of childbearing age in order to reduce the number of unborn children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy.