Analyses show that tobacco and alcohol use during pregnancy is higher among women born in France than among those born abroad (tobacco: 21.9 vs. 8.8%; alcohol: 40.4 vs. 22.9%). However, women born abroad who live alone have a particularly high probability of alcohol use. Disadvantaged socioeconomic status is associated with a higher level of tobacco use among women born in France, ...
In the Elfe study, 12.6% of mothers stated that they had experienced psychological distress during their pregnancy. This distress was more frequent among women who had already had several pregnancies, used tobacco or alcohol, whose pregnancy was unplanned and unwanted, or who had had medical complications during pregnancy. Only 25% of the women who experienced prenatal psychological distress consulted a ...
The aim of the present study was to measure levels of pyrethroid metabolites in the urine of pregnant women and attempt to identify their associated determinants. Urine samples were collected from 1077 future mothers on admission to a maternity unit and screened for five pyrethroid metabolites: [3-phenoxy benzoic (3-PBA), 4‑fluoro‑3‑phenoxy benzoic acid (4-F-3-PBA), Cis3‑(2,2dibromovinyl)‑2,2dimethyl cyclopropane-carboxylic acid (Cis-DBCA), Cis3(2,2dichlorovinyl)2,2‑dimethyl cyclopropane-carboxylic acid (Cis-DCCA), and Trans-3‑(2,2dichlorovinyl)‑2,2dimethyl cyclopropane-carboxylic acid (Trans-DCCA)]. With ...
The aim of this study was to measure the concentration of a hundred or so different pesticide molecules in strands of hair collected from mothers enrolled in the Elfe birth cohort (N = 311) who had just given birth in northeastern or southwestern France. Analysis revealed a median of 43 chemicals per woman, and 28 substances were found in between 70% ...
The national biomonitoring programme set up by Public Health France has a perinatal component, the aim being to estimate pregnant women’s exposure to certain pollutants that are present in the environment (bisphenol A, phtalates, pesticides, etc.). The present study, conducted among a subsample of 4,145 mothers belonging to the Elfe cohort, has yielded the first nationally reliable results about pregnant women’s ...
The dietary data used in this study came from a self-report questionnaire that Elfe mothers filled in at the maternity unit. This concerned their consumption of food and drink during the third trimester. These data for pregnant women were linked to data on pesticide levels for each foodstuff, taken from the second Total Diet Study (EAT2) conducted by the French Agency ...
We analysed the microorganisms (bacteria, house dust mites, moulds) found in the 3,000 dust traps that were placed in infants’ bedrooms during their first 2 months of life, with a view to assessing their impact on the children’s subsequent health, especially their respiratory health. We established six profiles of exposure to microorganisms in the home. Two of these were fairly ...
Mothers are recommended to exclusively breastfeed their infant for the first 6 months. When breastfeeding is not desired or not possible, or when mothers need to find a complement or follow-on, there is a vast array of infant formulas to choose from, in the form of either powdered or liquid milk. Parents enrolled in the Elfe birth cohort answered questions once ...
The National Nutrition and Health Programme (PNNS) recommends that dietary diversification, with the gradual introduction of different food groups, should begin at 6 months and not before 4 months. However, little is yet known about what actually happens in France. By analysing Elfe parents’ responses to questionnaires about the introduction of 28 food groups between the ages of 3 and ...
For the 70% of mothers who start breastfeeding at the maternity unit, the median duration of breastfeeding is 17 weeks, and the median duration of predominant breastfeeding is 7 weeks. Only 19% of infants are still being breastfed at 6 months. Total breastfeeding duration is shorter for mothers aged below 30 years, who live alone, have a low education level or ...
