I thought this was interesting so I wanted to share
By Amy Orciari Herman
Edited by André Sofair, MD, MPH, and William E. Chavey, MD, MS
Nearly 12% of pregnant women report consuming alcohol in the past 30 days, according to an analysis of data from the 2015–2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System published in MMWR.
Among the other findings, based on responses from 6800 pregnant women aged 18 to 44 across the U.S.:
- Some 4% reported binge-drinking (consuming 4 or more drinks on one occasion); these women averaged 4.5 binge-drinking episodes in the past 30 days.
- Unmarried women were more likely than married women to drink (15% vs. 9%) and binge-drink (6% vs. 2%).
- The prevalence of any drinking was highest among a group comprising American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, and multiracial respondents (19%) and lowest among Hispanic women (9%).
The researchers write that “universal alcohol screening and brief counseling in primary and prenatal care … could decrease the prevalence of drinking during pregnancy, which might ultimately reduce … adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes.”