Recent CDC studies confirm that approximately 12% of pregnant women consume alcohol during pregnancy, with about 3% reporting binge drinking (consuming 5 or more drinks on any one drinking occasion). Prenatal alcohol exposure constitutes one of the most common teratogenic exposures in public health. Alcohol consumed during the first 8 weeks of pregnancy, in moderate to heavy amounts, may result in increased rates of spontaneous abortion, decreased height and weight, increased craniofacial abnormalities, neurobehavioral deficits, and fetal alcohol syndrome in the offspring. An additional public health concern is that roughly half of all non-pregnant women of childbearing age report alcohol use, and 11% report binge drinking. Half of all pregnancies are unplanned, and one CDC study of new mothers found that almost half (45%) reported alcohol use in the 3 months before learning they were pregnant, with 1 in 20 consuming 6 or more drinks per week. Sixty percent of these women did not know they were pregnant until after the 4th week of pregnancy, and approximately 30% did not know they were pregnant until after the 6th week. These findings highlight the importance of developing public health approaches to identifying and intervening with women who may be at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP), before conception occurs. In 1997 the CDC funded the three universities you will hear from today to conduct multi-site studies in this area.
Learning Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to describe the state of the art and science in the area of FAS/ARBD prevention, and demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for the Project CHOICES study.
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Contraception
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.