The association of pre-pregnancy alcohol drinking with child neuropsychological functioning.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of pre-pregnancy alcohol drinking on child neuropsychological functioning.


METHODS
Prospective follow-up study.


METHODS
154 women and their children sampled from the Danish National Birth Cohort.


METHODS
Participants were sampled based on maternal alcohol consumption before pregnancy. At 5 years of age, the children were tested with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, the Test of Everyday Attention for Children at Five (TEACh-5), and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC). The Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) was completed by the mothers and a preschool teacher. Parental education, maternal IQ, prenatal maternal smoking, child's age at testing, child's sex, and maternal alcohol intake during pregnancy were considered potential confounders.


METHODS
Performance on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, the TEACh-5, the MABC, and the BRIEF.


RESULTS
Intake of 15-21 drinks/week on average prior to pregnancy was not associated with any of the outcomes, but intake of ≥22 drinks/week on average was associated with a significantly lower adjusted mean full scale IQ and lower adjusted means in overall attention and sustained attention score, but not in selective attention score or any of the BRIEF index scores or MABC scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Intake of ≥22 drinks/week before pregnancy was associated with lower mean full scale IQ, overall attention and sustained attention. Assessment of pre-pregnancy drinking provides additional information regarding potential prenatal alcohol exposure and its implications for child neurodevelopment.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.|Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
U S
US
Kesmodel
Section of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
M I S
MI
Kjaersgaard
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA.
C H
CH
Denny
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, USA.
J
J
Bertrand
Division of Psychiatry, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
Å
Å
Skogerbø
Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
H-L F
HL
Eriksen
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.|Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
B
B
Bay
Children's Neurocenter at Vejlefjord Rehabilitation Center, Stouby, Denmark.
M
M
Underbjerg
Institute of Public Health and Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
E L
EL
Mortensen
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001288:Attention; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
Alcohol drinking; attention; executive function; intelligence; motor function; neurodevelopmental effects; pregnancy