title: Monitoring prenatal alcohol exposure.
abstract: Alcohol use during pregnancy is a leading, preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States, with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) being one of the most severe outcomes. Current survey statistics find that approximately one in eight pregnant women (500,000 per year) report alcohol use, with approximately 80,000 reporting binge drinking. While annual rates have fluctuated, trends analysis finds that there has been no significant change in rates of prenatal alcohol exposure over the past 10-year period. Development of effective programs to prevent FAS and to monitor the success of prevention efforts requires epidemiological data systems to inform these activities. This article describes alcohol use patterns among childbearing-age women and data sources that can be used in monitoring this behavior.
authors.affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Team, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Executive Park Drive, Building 12, Mailstop E86, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. rif3@cdc.gov
authors.forename: R Louise
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Floyd
authors.forename: Jasjeet S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sidhu
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs; D011247:Pregnancy; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology