Light drinking during pregnancy: Social advantages explain positive correlates with child and early adolescent adjustment

Low to Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: A Narrative Review and Methodological Considerations

“…For example, half of the Australian studies used the Western Australian Health Survey data; 15 , 21 seven of the nine Danish studies used data from the Lifestyle During Pregnancy Study (based on a sample from the Danish National Birth Cohort); 26 – 32 and six of the nine U.K. studies used data from the Millennium Cohort Study. 36 – 39 , 41 , 50 Individual studies with the same data source often used the same definition of PAE but varied by study outcome or offspring age at neurodevelopmental assessment.…”

“…In all studies analyzed, PAE was assessed using self-report by the women as there are no biomarkers that could provide details on the dose and timing of low to moderate PAE. Twenty-two of the included studies collected self-report information on PAE during pregnancy, 16 – 18 , 20 , 22 – 33 , 35 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 47 , 49 and 14 studies relied on reports obtained after pregnancy, 15 , 19 , 21 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 41 , 44 – 46 , 48 , 50 including 10 studies with reporting occurring within 1 year of delivery. 15 , 19 , 21 , 36 – 39 , 41 , 45 , 50 Only three studies assessed PAE at the same time as or after the infant outcome was assessed (i.e., retrospectively).…”

“…Twenty-two of the included studies collected self-report information on PAE during pregnancy, 16 – 18 , 20 , 22 – 33 , 35 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 47 , 49 and 14 studies relied on reports obtained after pregnancy, 15 , 19 , 21 , 34 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 41 , 44 – 46 , 48 , 50 including 10 studies with reporting occurring within 1 year of delivery. 15 , 19 , 21 , 36 – 39 , 41 , 45 , 50 Only three studies assessed PAE at the same time as or after the infant outcome was assessed (i.e., retrospectively). Of these, two reported that light to moderate PAE was associated with worse behavioral problems at age 23 months 48 and at ages 9 to 10 years; 46 and the third—a case control study examining associations with ASD—reported mostly null findings, with the exception of a protective association between one to two drinks in the first month of pregnancy and lower odds of ASD.…”

“… 23 , 26 , 29 Four studies using data from the Millennium Cohort Study that assessed cognitive development with the British Abilities Scale reported protective associations between light PAE and cognitive outcomes in boys at age 3 36 and age 5, 37 but null associations when the boys were evaluated at ages 7 and 11. 38 , 39 …”

Re: Association between maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and risk of preterm delivery: the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

“…Moreover, light drinking during pregnancy is linked to higher socio‐economic advantages (e.g. mothers' higher education, professional/managerial occupation, home ownership, cognitive scores), which accounts for positive associations between light drinking and children's outcomes . The one‐third of Health eHeart participants that believed alcohol to be ‘heart healthy’ drank substantially more, and cited the press as the belief’s origin .…”