| FAS: High Risk Groups Targeted | |
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American Indian and African-American women are at high risk for drinking during pregnancy based on higher rates of infants born with fetal alcohol syndrome among these groups, the study reports.
"These women should to be told that reducing alcohol intake is helpful if total abstinence cannot be achieved," said study author Dr. Lee Ann Kaskutas of the Alcohol Research Group, Berkeley, California. The report was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
Women who were drinkers when they became pregnant are unlikely to stop drinking altogether, and some may see no point in cutting down, according to the study. "It's hard, because we want to give the message not to drink," Kaskutas told Reuters Health. "While abstinence should be the goal, any reduction can have positive effects."
Surprising Findings
Kaskutas was surprised to find that many of the women consumed drinks much larger in size than what is considered one drink by normal standards. Some women reported having one drink a day that consisted of a 40-ounce bottle of malt liquor, for example.The author of the study was also shocked to learn that many American Indian and African-American women reported the belief that "if it doesn't burn going down, it's okay," Kaskutas told reporters. "That's kind of scary. There are many alcoholic drinks that are sweet and packaged decoratively that these women apparently do not consider real liquor."
Only one quarter of the 321 women surveyed by Kaskutas could identify one risk factor associated with fetal alcohol syndrome, and only one-fifth knew the cause of fetal alcohol syndrome was alcohol-related, underlining the need of educational programs for these high risk groups.
She also said the study demonstrates the need to educate women about alcohol equivalency -- that one bottle of 40-ounce malt contains more alcohol than an ounce of whisky or a 12-ounce bottle of beer.
Researchers do not agree on the minimum amount of alcohol that is safe during pregnancy and some claim that any drinking at all during pregnancy can be a potential danger to the unborn child.
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