Alcohol consumption by pregnant women in the Western Cape.

OBJECTIVE

To assess alcohol use by pregnant women in three underprivileged areas of the Western Cape.

DESIGN

Data were collected from subjects, selected in a randomised manner, during a single, structured interview.

SUBJECTS AND

SETTING

Interviews were conducted among pregnant women voluntarily attending selected antenatal clinics in the George/Oudtshoorn, Vredenburg/Saldanha, and Cape Metropole areas of the Western Cape.

OUTCOME MEASURES: On completion of the interview, women at risk were counselled with regard to the dangers of prenatal alcohol exposure to the fetus.

RESULTS

42.8% of the women in the sample admitted to varying degrees of alcohol ingestion during the current pregnancy. The reported alcohol intake of over 55% of these women, i.e. 23.7% of the sample, was sufficient to place their unborn children at high risk for the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). These heavy drinkers followed a pattern of binge drinking over weekends and showed a marked preference for beer. Combined alcohol and tobacco use occurred in 29.6% of the sample. Only one subject admitted to using marijuana.

CONCLUSION

The data in this study confirm that a high rate of alcohol and tobacco use prevails among pregnant women in poorer communities of the Western Cape. Extrapolating from experience, as many as 9.5% of the sample may produce children with FAS.