Pre-pregnancy drinking: how drink size affects risk assessment.
OBJECTIVE
We considered the role of drink size in determining average daily consumption among groups at risk for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.


METHODS
In-person hour-long interviews gathered cross-sectional retrospective data about drinking before an index pregnancy.


METHODS
Subjects were recruited at public clinics in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. To reach those not necessarily seeking prenatal care, community outreach in the same urban areas was undertaken.


METHODS
Three hundred and twenty-one pregnant women were interviewed: 102 Native Americans, 185 African Americans, and 34 Caucasians.


METHODS
Volume of drinking prior to pregnancy was assessed using the graduated frequency series, which asks respondents to specify their drinking in terms of standard drinks. Using vessel models and photographs, respondent-defined drink sizes were then determined, and volume was recalculated accordingly.


RESULTS
For most beverages, the difference in milliliters between self-selected drink size and a standard size drink was significant, with the mean self-selected drink sizes ranging from 49% above the standard size (for beer) to 307% above the standard size (for spirits). For women whose pre-pregnancy average daily volume (ADV) was at the risk level of > or = 1 standard drink per day, ADV increased from four to almost 10 standard drinks per day when self-defined drink sizes were instead considered. Similarly, for women having three or more standard drinks a day, their daily dose of ethanol increased from 57 g to 153 g of ethanol per day.


CONCLUSIONS
If risk levels have been based on underestimates that assume women with alcohol-affected infants had standard drink sizes, then true risk levels may be higher than previously thought. Related, risk drinkers presenting at prenatal clinics may be missed if screening protocols do not ask about drink size.
Kaskutas
L A
LA
Alcohol Research Group, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, California 94709, USA.
Graves
K
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D001741:Black or African American; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D016742:Preconception Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States; D014504:Urban Health; D044465:White People