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Alcohol use prior to pregnancy recognition
R L Floyd1, P Decouflé, D W Hungerford
1National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, USA. rlf3@cdc.gov
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|September 18, 1999
Summary
Half of women in the study drank alcohol before pregnancy recognition, with 5% drinking frequently. Many women did not know they were pregnant early, highlighting the need for prenatal alcohol exposure interventions.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Frequent alcohol consumption in early pregnancy can cause spontaneous abortion and embryo developmental issues.
- Limited population-based data exists on periconceptional frequent drinking and associated factors.
- Understanding prevalence is crucial for preventing fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and related disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of frequent alcohol consumption (≥6 drinks/week) in the periconceptional period.
- To identify sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors for frequent drinking.
- To inform targeted public health interventions for prenatal alcohol exposure.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study using 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey (NMIHS) data.
- Weighted prevalence estimates calculated using SUDAAN.
- Multivariate analyses identified risk factors for frequent alcohol consumption.
Main Results:
- 45% of women consumed alcohol in the 3 months before pregnancy recognition; 5% drank ≥6 drinks/week.
- 60% of alcohol-consuming women learned of pregnancy after 4 weeks gestation.
- Risk factors for frequent drinking included: unmarried, smoker, white non-Hispanic, ≥25 years old, or college educated.
Conclusions:
- Half of pregnant women consumed alcohol pre-recognition, with 1 in 20 drinking moderately to heavily.
- Most women were unaware of pregnancy until after the 4th week, some not until the 6th.
- Public health strategies like alcohol screening, education, and family planning are essential to reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and its adverse outcomes.