New mothers, pregnant women's concerns about Zika remain sky high

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 4, 2016) - A new Text4baby survey reveals an overwhelming majority of pregnant women and new mothers are concerned about contracting the Zika virus and the effect it could have on their babies. The findings also showcased the steps these women are taking-or not taking-to prevent getting Zika.

"Pregnant women and new moms have a lot on their minds, and these numbers indicate that Zika is an enormous concern," said Matthew Melmed, executive director of ZERO TO THREE. "Text4baby wanted to hear directly from these women about their fears around Zika and will continue to provide tips and information through text messages to keep them informed and offer information about how they can protect themselves and their babies."

Of the nearly 700 pregnant women in the U.S. surveyed in July, 93 percent of respondents reported concerns about Zika. Of the 900 new moms surveyed, with babies under the age of 1, the percentage is slightly lower at 89 percent.

Most alarming, the percentage of respondents who reported knowing how to protect themselves and their children from Zika was surprisingly low - and lowest among new moms. Only 10 percent of pregnant Text4baby users who responded in English reported strongly agreeing that they know how to protect themselves from getting Zika. This number was slightly higher among pregnant Text4baby users who responded in Spanish, at 28 percent.

Avoiding travel to areas with active Zika transmission proved to be the top measure that all respondents reported taking to prevent the virus. However, users who responded in Spanish, both pregnant and new moms, were less likely to report avoiding travel. Respondents to the survey in Spanish were more likely to report not doing anything to prevent Zika, and were more likely to report being worried about Zika and future pregnancies (74 percent). Of all new mom respondents, 67% reported being worried about Zika and future pregnancies.  Detailed survey findings can be found online.

Text4baby is jointly operated by ZERO TO THREE and Voxiva, Inc., and is made possible through a broad public-private partnership including CTIA Wireless Foundation, Grey Healthcare Group, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and numerous national, state and local partners. Text4baby messages are free thanks to the generous support of AT&T, Bluegrass Cellular, Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, MetroPCS, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile U.S.A. To learn more, visit here.