Table 1.
Prevalence of stressors and health behaviors in perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 162)
| Pregnant N = 125 N (%) |
Postpartum N = 37 N (%) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, have you been unable to purchase healthy foods to support your pregnancy due to: | ||
| financial hardship | 9 (7%) | N/A |
| scarcity in stores | 34 (27%) | N/A |
| shelter in place restrictions | 20 (16%) | N/A |
| Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, have you experienced any of the following? | ||
| Missed any prenatal care appointments due to COVID-19 | 39 (31%) | 2 (5%) |
| Used telemedicine for any prenatal care appointments due to COVID-19 | 51 (41%) | 7 (19%) |
| Sought additional information about how COVID-19 is impacting the hospital you plan to deliver | 60 (48%) | 14 (38%) |
| Talked to your provider about labor and delivery and COVID-19 | 64 (51%) | 15 (40%) |
| How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected you in the past 2 weeks? | ||
| Worked remotely or from home more than you usually do | 49 (39%) | 11 (30%) |
| Worked more hours than usual | 17 (14%) | 0 (0%) |
| Worked reduced hours | 18 (14%) | 5 (14%) |
| Was not able to work | 19 (15%) | 2 (5%) |
| Had difficulty arranging for childcare | 22 (18%) | 9 (24%) |
| Incurred increased costs for childcare expenses | 3 (2%) | 0 (0%) |
| Income or pay has been reduced | 26 (21%) | 5 (14%) |
| Have no income | 3 (2%) | 1 (3%) |
| Was laid off or furloughed by employer | 12 (10%) | 2 (5%) |
| Had serious financial problems | 14 (11%) | 1 (3%) |
| Another household member has lost their job | 15 (12%) | 2 (5%) |
| In the past two weeks have you experienced the following as a result of COVID-19? | ||
| Not enough money to pay rent | 14 (11%) | 0 (0%) |
| Not enough money to pay for gas | 9 (7%) | 0 (0%) |
| Not enough money to pay for food | 9 (7%) | 0 (0%) |
| Did not have a regular place to sleep or stay | 2 (2%) | 0 (0%) |
| To cope with social distancing, isolation, or stress related to COVID-19, are you doing any of the following? | ||
| Taking breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media | 84 (67%) | 27 (73%) |
| Taking care of your body, such as taking deep breaths, stretching, or meditating | 62 (50%) | 10 (27%) |
| Engaging in healthy behaviors like trying to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, exercising regularly, getting plenty of sleep, or avoiding alcohol and drugs | 80 (64%) | 21 (57%) |
| Making time to relax | 78 (62%) | 18 (49%) |
| Connecting with others, including talking with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling | 68 (54%) | 21 (57%) |
| Contacting a healthcare provider | 20 (16%) | 7 (19%) |
| Using sleeping medications or sedatives/hypnotics | 4 (3%) | 0 (0%) |
| Eating high fat or sugary foods | 49 (39%) | 16 (43%) |
| Eating more food than usual | 39 (31%) | 10 (27%) |
| Eating less food than usual | 13 (10%) | 2 (5%) |
Note. N/A denotes not applicable as only pregnant women received those survey questions