Another innovative approach in the prenatal setting.

Another innovative approach in the prenatal setting, the Protecting the nearest Pregnancy Project, focused on women who were identified as drinking during their last pregnancy (called the index pregnancy). The goal of the meditation was to reduce prenatal alcohol use in the women's nearest pregnancies (Hankin et al. 2000; Hankin and Sokol 1995)

Three hundr women who consum at least four drinks by week at the time of conception for the index pregnancy were randomized 4 weeks after giving birth to receive an intensive brief intervention or to a hinder group that received standard care. They were followed for up to 5 years. Approximately one-third gave birth to single or more children in the followup period. Women who received the brief intervention drank significantly les than those in the hinder group during their subsequent pregnancies. The women who drank les also had better birth issues with fewer low-birth-weight babies and fewer premature deliveries. Moreover, children born to mothers in the brief intervention cluster showed better neurobehavioral performance at 13 month than the check group children (Hankin 2002). (For more information about the weights of maternal alcohol consumption onward child behavior, see Sood et al. 2001 O'Connor and Whaley 2003 and Whaley and O'Connor 2003)

CONCLUSION

Screening a woman for alcohol use with a validated questionnaire during her pregnancy can provide important information about what grades should be taken to assist her in modifying her drinking behavior, which might otherwise not be disclosed. If appropriate, clinicians then can provide assessment and brief intervention to help eliminate, or at least diminish her prenatal alcohol use, minimize fetal risk, and maximize pregnancy outcome