title: High levels of alcohol consumption in pregnant women from a touristic area of Southern Spain.
abstract: The prevalence of alcohol intake in women who become pregnant is similar to that found in the general population, especially in cases of unplanned pregnancies. Consequently, foetal exposure is high during the period of maximum vulnerability. The present study was carried out to determine the prenatal level of exposure to alcohol in Málaga, a Mediterranean region whose economy is based on the touristic sector (Costa del Sol). A cross-sectional, observational design was used to investigate the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, based on a self-reporting questionnaire. A total of 451 women in the first, second or third trimesters of pregnancy were recruited. Consumption prevalences in each trimester were 40.7%, 25.5% and 17.1%. A higher educational level was associated with greater exposure to alcohol (risk ratio, 1.87 [1.30-2.69]). These results should alert the providers of obstetric care in touristic areas to the need for the adoption of adequate preventive measures.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , School of Medicine, Málaga University Hospital , Málaga , Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: González-Mesa
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , School of Medicine, Málaga University Hospital , Málaga , Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blasco-Alonso
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , School of Medicine, Málaga University Hospital , Málaga , Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gálvez Montes
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , School of Medicine, Málaga University Hospital , Málaga , Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lozano Bravo
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , School of Medicine, Málaga University Hospital , Málaga , Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Merino-Galdón
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , School of Medicine, Málaga University Hospital , Málaga , Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cuenca-Campos
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , School of Medicine, Málaga University Hospital , Málaga , Spain.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marín-Schiaffino
authors.affiliation: b Department of Pharmacology , School of Medicine, Málaga University , Málaga , Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bellido-Estévez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019083:Mediterranean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Alcohol consumption; alcohol in pregnancy; prevalence; substance abuse