The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #61046

Mary Anne Armstrong, MA¹, Lee Ann Kaskutas, DrPH², Leslie Lieberman, MSW³, Sue Diehl², Cosette Taillac, LCSW³, Veronica M. Osejo, BS¹, Jane A. Witbrodt, MPH², and Gabriel J. Escobar, MD¹. (1) Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612, (510) 891-3501, Maryanne.Armstrong@kp.org, (2) Alcohol Research Group, 2000 Hearst Ave., Suite 300, Berkeley, CA 94709-2167, (3) Patient Care Services, Kaiser Permanente, 1950 Franklin, Oakland, CA 94612

Early Start is an obstetric clinic-based perinatal substance abuse treatment program integrated with prenatal care in which a substance abuse treatment specialist is located in obstetric departments to conduct risk assessments, educational sessions, and brief interventions. A clinical trial funded by NIAAA which began in 1999 implements an enhancement to Early Start that helps women recognize the actual quantity and frequency of alcohol they consume in terms of standard drinks through the use of sample glassware and containers (“vessels”) used for alcoholic beverages in conjunction with a computerized intervention. The intervention enhancement (to be demonstrated during our presentation) evaluates actual drink size, provides immediate feedback to the patient, and provides an educational component with the theme that it is never too late in a pregnancy to quit or cut down your drinking. Nineteen clinics where Early Start is in operation have been randomized to either usual care Early Start or Early Start Plus, which is usual care Early Start plus the enhancement. A third study arm is a control group of comparison women with similar alcohol problems from sites where Early Start is not in operation. Evaluation of the success of the intervention enhancement will include comparison of rates of maternal alcohol intake during pregnancy and perinatal outcomes among the 3 study arms. Preliminary feedback from clinicians at Early Start Plus sites suggests that the use of familiar vessels and a computerized intervention enables more honest dialog about alcohol consumption and the challenges to abstention that women face.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, the participant will have learned about the computer-based intervention that was demonsrated which was designed to help people better quantify the true amount of alcohol they drink and will be able to evaluate its applicability to their treatment setting.

Keywords: Alcohol Problems, Prenatal Interventions

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.