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Published on: December 14, 2014
Executive Function After Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in Children in a South African Population: Cross-sectional Study
Jacobus Gidion Louw1,2,3, Alastair van Heerden4,5, Leana Olivier1
1Foundation for Alcohol Related Research, Cape Town, South Africa.
Background:
Alcohol is a teratogen; its consumption during pregnancy can lead to negative birth outcomes, collectively referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Neurodevelopmental delays in higher-order cognitive functions that affect development of executive functions are a common feature. Studies on executive function in children have focused on children diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and there is a lack of information on the impact on children not diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder but who had been exposed to alcohol.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to compare the development of executive function in children between 4 and 6 years of age with and without prenatal exposure to alcohol.
Methods:
Children both exposed and not exposed to alcohol were recruited as part of a feasibility RCT evaluating a computer-based cognitive training program for improving executive function development. The study was conducted in a low-socioeconomic status community in South Africa with a high prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Neurodevelopment was assessed in participating children; NEPSY-II standardized scores for executive function domains were compared using a multivariate analysis of variance with group membership as the predictor variable.
Results:
No significant differences in executive functions assessments (P=.39) were found between children in the alcohol-exposed group (n=76) and those in the nonexposed group (n=40). Both groups showed moderate to severe delays in domains. In all but one subtest, the average score for both groups was below the 25th percentile of expected norms.
Conclusions:
We expected that alcohol exposure would have a measurable impact on executive function development. The lack of differences highlights the prevalence of developmental delays in low-socioeconomic status communities in South Africa and suggests that children are exposed to various threats to cognitive development.
International Registered Report Identifier (Irrid):
RR2-10.2196/14489.
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