RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIVING ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THE ACCIDENT INSIDE OF THE HOME IN PREGNANT PERIOD OCCURRED AND CHANGE IN THE BODY

<p> The authors previously reported results of a survey aimed at learning the background and causes of accidents or near accidents experienced by pregnant women. They found that accidents or near accidents among pregnant women were likely to occur from the 20th through 32th weeks of pregnancy or when there was substantial weight gain. This study investigated further details about environments at time of accidents or near accidents occurred based on the findings reported in the previous paper. We conducted a survey about pregnant women’s change in the body and their awareness of physiological changes due to pregnancy to determine reasons for accidents or near accidents. And the purpose was to explore cause of accidents or near accidents.</p><p> First, Body Mass Index (BMI) was analyzed to assess the pregnant women’s pre-pregnant habitus. The results (N = 116) found that 72.4% of the women had normal body weights (BMI between 18.5 and 25.0) and 22.8% of the women had low body weights (lean type) (BMI less than 18.5).</p><p> Then, the relationships between pre-pregnant habitus and post-pregnant body weight and abdominal circumference (AC) were investigated by pregnant period. We found that no significant relationship was found between weight gain, weight loss, or AC with the habitus. It was found that pregnant women tended to become aware of physiological changes as their pregnancies progressed, particularly in the lower part of the abdomen, and the extent of that awareness increased as the pregnancy progressed.</p><p> Next, we learned the specific locations of accidents or near accidents in the house. We found that the extent of awareness of physiological changes was related as the cause of the events. The pregnant women who experienced accidents or near accidents tended to believe that these events had occurred because they lacked awareness of their physiological changes.</p><p> The most frequent type of accident or near accident in the pregnant women’s houses was a fall down, which comprised 55.9% (N = 127) of all the accidents or near accidents. Falls most frequently occurred while descending stairs (26.0%, N = 127). In addition, the physical damage caused by falls was greater than the extent of damage caused by other types of accidents. The living room was the second most common place that accidents occurred (17.3%, N = 127). We assumed the living room was a frequent place where accidents or near accidents occurred because it often is used for multiple purposes, such as a child's playroom, the family’s common leisure place, and an indoor laundry area.</p><p> In sum, pregnant women's accidents or near accidents were related to their physiological changes, particularly their habitus change and the rate of change. Regarding this finding, the period from the 6th to the 7th month of pregnancy was previously found to be the period when the habitus most significantly changed compared to pre-pregnancy (data from a retrospective study). When we examined the relationship between that finding and the numbers of accidents or near accidents in our study, a similar tendency was observed. In other words, the pregnant women were likely to experience accidents or near accidents between the 6th and 7th month when they were not fully aware of habitus changes. After the 7th month, the numbers of accidents or near accidents decreased as the women gradually became aware of their physiological changes.</p>