title: Prevalence and patterns of alcohol use in pregnancy in remote Western Australian communities: The Lililwan Project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alcohol use in pregnancy is thought to be common in remote Australian communities, but no population-based data are available. Aboriginal leaders in remote Western Australia invited researchers to determine the prevalence and patterns of alcohol use in pregnancy within their communities.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based survey of caregivers of all children born in 2002/2003 and living in the Fitzroy Valley in 2010/2011 (n = 134). Alcohol use risk was categorised using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test consumption subset (AUDIT-C) tool. Birth and child outcomes were determined by interview, medical record review and physical examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  127/134 (95%) eligible caregivers participated: 78% were birth mothers, 95% were Aboriginal and 55% reported alcohol use in index pregnancies; 88% reported first trimester drinking and 53% drinking in all trimesters. AUDIT-C scores were calculated for 115/127 women, of whom 60 (52%) reported alcohol use in pregnancy. Of the 60 women who drank (AUDIT-C score ≥ 1), 12% drank daily/almost daily, 33% drank 2-3 times per week; 71% drank ≥ 10 standard drinks on a typical occasion; 95% drank at risky or high-risk levels (AUDIT-C score ≥ 4). Mean AUDIT-C score was 8.5 ± 2.3 (range 2-12). The most common drinking pattern was consumption of ≥ 10 standard drinks either 2-4 times per month (27%) or 2-3 times per week (27%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-risk alcohol use in pregnancy is common in remote, predominantly Aboriginal communities in north western Australia. Prevention strategies to reduce prenatal alcohol use are urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Latimer
authors.forename: Manuela L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oscar
authors.forename: Alexandra L C
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Martiniuk
authors.forename: Rochelle E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Elliott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Australian Aboriginal; alcohol consumption; fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD); maternal-fetal relation; pregnancy