title: The effects of low to moderate alcohol consumption and binge drinking in early pregnancy on behaviour in 5-year-old children: a prospective cohort study on 1628 children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effects of low to moderate maternal alcohol consumption and binge drinking in early pregnancy on behaviour in children at the age of 5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neuropsychological testing in four Danish cities, 2003-2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1628 women and their children sampled from the Danish National Birth Cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were sampled based on maternal alcohol drinking patterns during early pregnancy. When the children were 5 years of age the parent and teacher versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were completed by the mothers and a preschool teacher, respectively. The full statistical model included the following potential confounding factors: maternal binge drinking or low to moderate alcohol consumption, respectively; parental education; maternal IQ; prenatal maternal smoking; the child's age at testing; the child's gender; maternal age; parity; maternal marital status; family home environment; postnatal parental smoking; prepregnancy maternal body mass index (BMI); and the child's health status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Behaviour among children assessed by the SDQ parent and teacher forms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjusted for all potential confounding factors, no statistically significant associations were observed between maternal low to moderate average weekly alcohol consumption and SDQ behavioural scores (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.5-2.3; OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.6-2.1 for the total difficulties scores) or between binge drinking and SDQ behavioural scores (OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.8-1.7; OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study observed no consistent effects of low to moderate alcohol consumption or binge drinking in early pregnancy on offspring behaviour at the age of 5 years.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. aask@sund.ku.dk
authors.forename: Å
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Skogerbø
authors.forename: U S
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Kesmodel
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Denny
authors.forename: M I S
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Kjaersgaard
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wimberley
authors.forename: N I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Landrø
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Mortensen
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000150:complications*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Behaviour; SDQ; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; binge drinking; low to moderate alcohol consumption; neurodevelopmental effects; prenatal exposures