Prevalence of excessive alcohol consumption in pregnancy

Mehta, Catherine; Masson, Geraldine; Iqbal, Zamin; O’Mahony, Fidelma; Khalid, Rashida Yakubu

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2009.07.005

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Screening practices vary across specialty, with the highest rates found among midwives and the lowest among obstetricians. This may be due in part to how responsibilities are organized in various practice settings (Jones et al., ; Mehta et al., ). Consistent with reports in other countries and professions (e.g., Anderson et al., ; Goodman and Wolff, ; Holmqvist and Nilsen, ), relatively few American midwives in the present study use a standardized, validated screening tool although they may ask a simple “yes/no” question.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal Alcohol Screening During Pregnancy by Midwives and Nurses

Chiodo

Cosmian

Pereira

et al. 2019

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

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Background Alcohol use during pregnancy can have a variety of harmful consequences on the fetus. Lifelong effects include growth restriction, characteristic facial anomalies, and neurobehavioral dysfunction. This range of effects is known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). There is no amount, pattern, or timing of alcohol use during pregnancy proven safe for a developing embryo or fetus. Therefore, it is important to screen patients for alcohol use, inform them about alcohol's potential effects during pregnancy, encourage abstinence, and refer for intervention if necessary. However, how and how often nurses and midwives inquire about alcohol drinking during pregnancy or use recommended screening tools and barriers they perceive to alcohol screening has not been well established. Methods This survey was sent to about 6,000 American midwives, nurse practitioners, and nurses who provide prenatal care about their knowledge of the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, the prevalence of alcohol use during pregnancy, and practices for screening patients’ alcohol use. Participants were recruited by e‐mail from the entire membership roster of the American College of Nurse‐Midwives. Results There were 578 valid surveys returned (about 9.6%). Analyses showed that 37.7% of the respondents believe drinking alcohol is safe during at least one trimester of pregnancy. Only 35.2% of respondents reported screening to assess patient alcohol use. Only 23.3% reported using a specific screening tool, and few of those were validated screens recommended for use in pregnant women. Respondents who believe alcohol is safe at some point in pregnancy were significantly less likely to screen their patients. Conclusions Respondents who reported that pregnancy alcohol use is unsafe felt more prepared to educate and intervene with patients regarding alcohol use during pregnancy and FASD than respondents who reported drinking in pregnancy was safe. Perceived alcohol safety and perceived barriers to screening appeared to influence screening practices. Improving prenatal care provider knowledge about the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and the availability of valid alcohol screening tools will improve detection of drinking during pregnancy, provide more opportunities for meaningful intervention, and ultimately reduce the incidence of FASD.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal Alcohol Screening During Pregnancy by Midwives and Nurses

Chiodo

Cosmian

Pereira

et al. 2019

Alcoholism Clin & Exp Res

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“…Alcohol has fetotoxic, teratogenic and carcinogenic effects and, in addition, it may be associated with other noxious effects. The most vulnerable period is from weeks 4 to 10 of gestation, but alcohol-related damage may occur at any period of pregnancy [23]. Ionizing radiation during gestation, especially during organogenesis period, is associated with a reduction in HC [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Head circumference at birth and exposure to tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs during early pregnancy

et al. 2011

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Aims We aimed to assess the effects of exposure to tobacco smoke, alcohol and illegal drugs during early pregnancy on the head circumference (HC) at birth of otherwise healthy neonates. Methods A follow-up study from the first trimester of pregnancy to birth was carried out in 419 neonates. An environmental reproductive health form was used to record data of substance exposure obtained during the first obstetric visit at the end of the first trimester. A multiple linear regression model was created for this purpose. Results Alcohol intake during pregnancy and medical ionizing radiation exposure were the most significant predictors of HC. The mothers’ alcohol consumption increased with the mothers’ and fathers’ education level, net family income and fathers’ alcohol consumption. In contrast, maternal smoking decreased with increasing mothers’ and fathers’ education level and net family income. About 13% of the surveyed embryos were exposed to illegal drugs. Conclusions Mild to moderate alcohol consumption diminishes the at-birth HC of theoretically healthy newborns in a linear form. There was no threshold dose. We perceived a need for increasing the awareness, and for training, of health care professionals and parents, in regard to risks of alcohol consumption and for recommending abstinence of these substances in both parents during pregnancy. It should also be remembered that medical ionizing radiation should be performed only during the first half of the cycle in fertile women. We think that our study has an important social impact as it affords data for implementing policies for promoting “healthy pregnancies”.

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“…When a couple get married they usually begin to decrease their consumption, [7,8], a phenomenon referred to as “marriage effect” [9]. During pregnancy it is usually not the physical changes involved in becoming pregnant (aside from probably morning sickness) that produces the observed reduction in alcohol consumption [10-13], but more likely the women’s own decision to reduce their drinking for the health of the baby . In keeping with this, Alvik et al [10] found that 85% of women reduced their alcohol consumption at pregnancy recognition, with fetal welfare being the main reason.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in alcohol use and relationship satisfaction in Norwegian couples during pregnancy

Mellingen

Torsheim

Thuen

2013

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy

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BackgroundNumerous studies have documented a profound reduction in alcohol use among pregnant women, whereas research on expectant fathers has been scarce. The aim of this study was to measure changes in alcohol consumption from before pregnancy to 17 weeks in gestation for mothers and fathers, differentiating between parents with and without any previous children, and to measure how level and change in alcohol consumption into early pregnancy was associated with relationship satisfaction.MethodsThe data collection was conducted as part of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. This cohort now includes 108 000 children, 90 700 mothers and 71 500 fathers recruited from 1999 to 2008. The present study comprises 82 362 couples. Alcohol consumption was assessed using a questionnaire including items about usual drinking frequency, quantities, and number of occasions with heavy episodic drinking (HED). Relationship satisfaction was measured by five items scored on a Likert agreement scale.ResultsThe findings indicate that both mothers and fathers reduce their drinking significantly during pregnancy. Reduction was apparent for all three measures of alcohol consumption. First-time fathers reduced their alcohol consumption more than experienced fathers, from initially higher levels. The gap between the fathers and their pregnant partner was greater for first-time parents compared to parents with previous children. Drinking pre-pregnancy and relationship satisfaction during pregnancy were weakly related within each partner, whereas no association across partners was observed.ConclusionsBoth expectant mothers and fathers changed their alcohol consumption patterns when expecting a child. Almost all mothers stopped drinking, whereas fathers reduced their drinking to a considerable degree. Relationship satisfaction was only slightly related to their drinking patterns. The findings may have important policy implications, mainly with regard to developing alcohol preventive strategies.

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Prevalence of excessive alcohol consumption in pregnancy

Cited by 8 publications

References 1 publication

Prenatal Alcohol Screening During Pregnancy by Midwives and Nurses

Prenatal Alcohol Screening During Pregnancy by Midwives and Nurses

Head circumference at birth and exposure to tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs during early pregnancy

Changes in alcohol use and relationship satisfaction in Norwegian couples during pregnancy

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