Background:
The science base for preconception health is limited because of the lack of prospective studies linking pre-pregnancy health with pregnancy experiences and outcomes.

Objectives:
The objective of this study is to analyze how women's pregnancy intentions and health-related behaviors are related to their subsequent pregnancy status and health-related behavior change.

Methods:
Data come from two-year longitudinal follow-up of the Central Pennsylvania Women's Health Study Phase 1 cohort (CePAWHS-LF), which consisted of a representative population-based sample of 2,002 reproductive-aged women (18-45 years). The follow-up survey attained a 79% response rate.

Results:
Women with reproductive capacity were asked at baseline about pregnancy intent. Of these women, 9% reported they were considering a pregnancy within the next year, 36% were considering a pregnancy at some other time in the future, 4% were undecided, and 51% were not considering a future pregnancy. Information was also gathered at baseline about health behaviors including daily fruit and vegetable consumption, use of a multivitamin containing folic acid, physical activity level, smoking, binge drinking, and health care use. We analyze information at baseline and at 24 months to: 1) compare stated pregnancy intent to actual reproductive status over the time interval (reported pregnancies and pregnancy outcomes); and 2) compare women with differing pregnancy intentions at baseline with regard to health-related behaviors and changes over time in those behaviors.

Conclusion and implications for practice:
Conclusions and implications of the findings for preconceptional health promotion and health care delivery strategies will be discussed.