Can exposure to chemical products be reduced during pregnancy?

BACKGROUND: Exposure to chemical products during pregnancy is a growing threat to maternal and fetal health. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing (MI) based education in reducing the use of products that may contain chemicals among pregnant women and in creating a change in attitudes towards the use of these chemicals. METHODS: The study was conducted using a pretest-posttest randomized controlled design with 130 pregnant women. Intervention group received three face-to-face MI based education sessions aimed at reducing the use of products that may contain chemicals. Participants reported using frequencies of personal care and domestic products that may contain chemicals. Attitudes toward avoiding potentially harmful chemicals were additionally measured using an Endocrine Disrupting Attitude Scale (EDAS). RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was found when comparing the differences (pre-test-post-test) in personal care and domestic products that contain chemicals usage between the experimental and control groups p < 0.05. In the experimental group, a decrease in the use of most products was observed in the post-test. While the pretest EDAS mean scores of the pregnant women in the intervention and control groups were similar, the posttest EDAS mean scores increased. Results indicated a significant main effect in traction between group and time for EDAS (F13.06; η2 = .093, P < .001). CONCLUSION: MI based education was an effective method to reduce the use of products that may chemicals and develop positive attitude towards protection against use of products. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered retrospectively with the Clinical Trials Protocol Registration and Results System. NCT06380634. (registered 24.04.2024).