FASD Center News

Please note under the FASD Related Articles section the article “New Research on Light Drinking by Pregnant Women Wrongly Linked to Public Health Message” should be credited to NOFAS, November 5, 2008 (instead of MOFAS).  Thank you.

• Update of Spanish Site
• FASD Center for Excellence Report transmitted to Congress

FASD Related Articles

• New Research on Light Drinking by Pregnant Women Wrongly Linked to Public Health Message
• Don’t drink if you are pregnant
• Protect children in the womb from dangers of alcohol
• Write responsibly about drinking
• New PHIL MAY article “Enhanced case management to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Northern Plains communities”
• Binge Drinking During Pregnancy and Risk of Seizures in Childhood: A Study Based on the Danish National Birth Cohort

Letters – FASD Study Group responds to recent research

• Shocked at advice on drinking while pregnant
• Light drinking during pregnancy will not make your child smarter!

FASD Conferences

• National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Conference: Evidence-Based Strategies for Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond
• Promising Practices, Promising Futures

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Update of Spanish Site
The Center has completed the update and adaptation of the Spanish-language section of the official site. This update represents the culmination of six months of steady work on the part of the translation team and the Web team. The revamped site significantly expands the percentage of the main Web site that is available in Spanish.

http://www.fascenter.samhsa.gov/fasdsp/index.cfm

FASD Center for Excellence Report transmitted to Congress
The Department of Health and Human Services transmitted the report “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Center for Excellence,” which was requested in House Report No. 110-231, to the House on Monday, November 10, 2008.

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New Research on Light Drinking by Pregnant Women Wrongly Linked to Public Health Message – MOFAS, November 5, 2008
The lead researcher of a newly published study on light alcohol consumption during pregnancy has incorrectly suggested that light drinking is without risk, sending an irresponsible message to the public. The researcher and many media stories describing the study claim that in light of the findings public health advisories that recommend complete abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy should be reconsidered. However, the reasoning behind this conclusion is faulty.

http://www.nofas.org/news/NewResearchWrong.aspx

Don’t drink if you are pregnant - bnd.com, November 4, 2008
St. Louis University researchers have received a three-year, $1 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand their efforts to educate doctors about fetal alcohol syndrome and the risks of drinking during pregnancy. Their message is simple: “Drinking during pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects, which have lifelong consequences and can easily be prevented,” says Leigh Tenkku, Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the university.

http://www.bnd.com/living/health/story/529994.html

Protect children in the womb from dangers of alcohol - thespectrum.com, October 30, 2008
Alcohol use during pregnancy is the leading known preventable cause of developmental delays and birth defects in the United States. According to the Institute of Medicine, “Of all the substances of abuse (including cocaine, heroin and marijuana), alcohol produces by far the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the fetus.”

http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20081030/OPINION/810300310

Write responsibly about drinking - Sioux City Journal, October 26, 2008
This article asks the question, “Does a newspaper have a public responsibility to print positive news articles that are well-researched?” The question arises in light of a published piece about the benefits of beer, in which the author neglects to adequately describe the negative effects of alcohol, especially during pregnancy.

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2008/10/26/news_opinion/letters/6810acb6096c763c862574ec0075c6b6.txt

New PHIL MAY article “Enhanced case management to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Northern Plains communities”

Philip A. May,  Joseph H. Miller, Karen A. Goodhart, Olivia R. Maestas, David Buckley, Phyllis M. Trujillo, J. Phillip Gossage. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007

Women proven to be extremely high risk for drinking during pregnancy were provided case Management (CM) enhanced with strategies derived from motivational interviewing (MI) as a part of a comprehensive Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) epidemiology and prevention program in four American Indian communities in Northern Plains states. Data on the first women enrolled (n = 131) revealed that they have extreme issues with alcohol abuse to overcome. Sixty-five percent of these women have experienced extensive alcohol use within their immediate family. Thirty-one percent of the women entered some type of formal alcohol or drug treatment while in CM. Data were collected at 6-month intervals from 6 to 72 months after enrollment. Consumption of alcohol, as measured by both quantity and frequency measures, was reduced at 6 months. Thirty-eight percent of enrolled women reported complete abstinence. http://www.springerlink.com/content/vv337207k8234232/

Binge Drinking During Pregnancy and Risk of Seizures in Childhood: A Study Based on the Danish National Birth Cohort - American Journal of Epidemiology

Yuelian Sun, Katrine Strandberg-Larsen, Mogens Vestergaard, Jakob Christensen, Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen, Morten Grønbæk and Jørn Olsen

Seizures are often found in children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), but it is not known whether binge drinking during pregnancy by nonalcoholic women is associated with an increased risk of seizure disorders in children. The authors conducted a population-based cohort study of 80,526 liveborn singletons in the Danish National Birth Cohort (1996–2002). Information on maternal binge drinking (intake of ?5 drinks on a single occasion) was collected in two computer-assisted telephone interviews during pregnancy. Children were followed for up to 8 years. Information on neonatal seizures, epilepsy, and febrile seizures was retrieved from the Danish National Hospital Register. Results showed that exposure to binge drinking episodes during pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of seizure disorders in children, except for those exposed at 11–16 gestational weeks. These children had a 3.15-fold increased risk of neonatal seizures (95% confidence interval: 1.37, 7.25) and a 1.81-fold increased risk of epilepsy (95% confidence interval: 1.13, 2.90). These findings suggest that maternal binge drinking during a specific time period of pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of specific seizure disorders in the offspring. The results are exploratory, however, and need to be replicated.

http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/kwn334v1

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Shocked at advice on drinking while pregnant - Monday, 15 December 2008
We are alarmed to learn of a recent article in your publication “A drink or two may be good for baby” on October 31, 2008, and others reporting the results of a recent epidemiological study entitled “Light drinking in pregnancy, a risk for behavioral problems and cognitive deficits at 3 years of age?” published by Dr. Yvonne Kelly and colleagues in the International Journal of Epidemiology…

Light drinking during pregnancy will not make your child smarter! - Friday, 12 December 2008
A rash of recent newspaper stories suggesting that light drinking during pregnancy may be beneficial for an unborn child are alarming to many of those in the medical community. These misleading and irresponsible reports followed a recently published study by the University College, London suggesting that 3-year-old children whose mothers drank “lightly” during pregnancy were not at risk for certain behavioral problems. The erroneous interpretation by the lay press about some “beneficial” effects of drinking during pregnancy was NOT part of the study’s findings. Indeed, the comments by the media also run counter to research studies indicating that low levels of alcohol can damage a fetus.

Access to these letters can be found on the FASD Center for Excellence Web site under What’s New: http://www.fascenter.samhsa.gov/index.cfm

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National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Conference: Evidence-Based Strategies for Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond - Madison, Wisconsin, May 1-2, 2009

This two-day national conference will offer keynote addresses, breakout sessions, poster presentations, and exhibits sharing state-of-the-art information and strategies for providers, families, and communities affected by FASD. The registration fee for this conference is $89, and some of the conference speakers include Edward P. Riley, PhD, and Dan Dubovsky, MSW. For more information contact Kristi Obmascher, FASD Conference Manager, UW-Madison Dept. of Professional Development and Applied Studies, 313 Lowell Center, 610 Langdon Street, Madison, WI 53703-1195. Phone: (608) 262-8971. E-mail: kobmascher@dcs.wisc.edu.

http://www.dcs.wisc.edu/pda/fasd/conference.htm

Promising Practices, Promising Futures: Alberta FASD Conference - Edmonton, Alberta February 12-13, 2009
This two-day multidisciplinary conference will focus on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and its impact on individuals, families, communities, and society at large. Conference day (February 13) activities will include keynote speakers, presentations, and community showcase displays. The pre-conference day (February 12) will feature half-day workshops (afternoon only) and an evening networking reception.

http://www.child.alberta.ca/home/594.cfm