scholarly journals Health, social and legal outcomes of individuals with diagnosed or at risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: Canadian example

2021 ◽  
Vol 219 ◽  
pp. 108487
Author(s):  
Svetlana Popova ◽  
Valerie Temple ◽  
Danijela Dozet ◽  
Graham O'Hanlon ◽  
Caitlin Toews ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Legal Outcomes ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

scholarly journals 59 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Canada’s Children: Pediatric Advocacy for Optimal Physical and Mental Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. e24-e25
Author(s):  
Jocelynn Cook ◽  
Ana Hanlon-Dearman ◽  
Kathy Unsworth
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Canadian Population ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Abstract Introduction/Background Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a diagnostic term used to describe the range of physical and neurobehavioural effects that may result from prenatal exposure to alcohol. With school prevalence figures of approximately 4%, this may represent as many as 224,000 children across Canada. The pediatrician is key to identifying children who may be at risk based on exposure and in providing regular health and developmental surveillance to families caring for these children. To date, information about the range of specific co-morbidities in the paediatric population has not been clearly established for the Canadian population. The Canadian National FASD Dataform has been collecting diagnostic and assessment data from specialty FASD clinics across Canada for the last 6 years. Objectives The purpose of this abstract is to describe the physical and mental health conditions seen in children and adolescents with FASD in Canada. Design/Methods The Canadian National Dataform collects information from 29 Canadian FASD diagnostic clinics. Dataform started in 2011 as a project funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada to provide national clinical information on FASD in Canada. The database is hosted on the RedCap platform. De-identified clinical data collected includes information on FASD diagnoses, other prenatal exposures, brain domains of impairment and physical/mental health co-morbidities. Descriptive and quantitative analyses were used to compare individuals with and without FASD in the sample. Results Of the 1,684 records in the database, 58% had FASD, 11% were designated as At Risk for FASD and 31% did not receive an FASD-related diagnosis. Nine percent (N=152) were between the ages of 0-5 years, 46% (N=780) were 6-12 years and 24% (N=402) were 13-17 years of age. Of all individuals with FASD, 53% were also exposed prenatally to other substances including nicotine (43%), cannabis (29%) and cocaine/crack (18%), which did not significantly differ from the exposures of those who do not have FASD in the sample. Eighty-eight percent of the sample had confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Data show that children and adolescents across all age groups who meet criteria for FASD had significantly more impairment across each of the 10 brain domains measured when compared to those who have PAE but do not meet criteria for an-FASD diagnosis (Figure 1). The children and adolescents with FASD had significantly higher physical and mental health co-morbidities across all age cohorts (Tables 1 and 2). It is important to note that, in most cases, the rates of co-morbidities are higher than in the general Canadian population. Conclusion Children with FASD/PAE are at risk for physical and mental health co-morbidity and on-going risk for developing new and significant health challenges. They should be followed by a community pediatrician. Appropriate anticipatory guidance should be provided to families at check-ups, including referrals for early intervention. A community team to support families caring for complex children optimizes developmental outcomes, reducing the burden of care. Understanding complexities of PAE changes how we consider public health policy/service delivery.

Unrealistic optimism with regard to drinking during pregnancy among women of childbearing age in a South African community

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-229
Author(s):  
Jacobus G Louw ◽  
Mark Tomlinson ◽  
Leana Olivier
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Unrealistic Optimism ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Personal Risk ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is a risk factor in a range of adverse birth outcomes, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and is a major health concern. For this behaviour to change one of the necessary conditions is for women to have an accurate perception of the risks drinking during pregnancy poses. A major obstacle to this is the presence of unrealistic optimism which leads to women believing they are less at risk than others. This study examined a sample of women ( N = 129) from a community in the Northern Cape Province in South Africa with a high prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder for signs of unrealistic optimism. A questionnaire about the perception of personal and general risk was administered during a one-on-one interview and responses compared. Neither a Student’s t-test ( t(115) = −1.720, p = .088, 95% confidence interval [−0.180, 0.013]) nor a Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test ( z = −1.72, p = .285) showed a significant difference. The perception of risk posed by drinking during pregnancy to others, knowledge of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and the perception of how easy it would be for the participant to quit drinking were significant predictors of the perception of personal risk. Only the perception of personal risk predicted the perception of general risk. There was no evidence that participants believed themselves to be less at risk than their peers when it came to the risks of drinking during pregnancy. Future directions for research into unrealistic optimism and drinking during pregnancy are discussed.

scholarly journals Combining visual methods with focus groups: An innovative approach for capturing the multifaceted and complex work experiences of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder prevention specialists

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenelle M. Job ◽  
Cheryl-Anne Poth ◽  
Jacqueline Pei ◽  
Katherine Wyper ◽  
O'Riordan Teresa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Innovative Approach ◽  
Visual Methods ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum ◽  
Disorder Prevention

Job, J., Poth, C., Pei, J., Wyper, K., Teresa, O., & Taylor, L. (2014). Combining visual methods with focus groups: An innovative approach for capturing the multifaceted and complex work experiences of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder prevention specialists. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 3(1), 71-80. doi:10.7895/ijadr.v3i1.129Aims: This paper discusses the untapped potential of an innovative methodological approach for capturing the experiences of prevention specialists working with women at risk of drug and/or alcohol-exposed pregnancies and live births. Allowing frontline workers to express their personal and professional experiences through a creative activity enhanced our understanding of the difficult-to-measure programming outcomes of a provincial Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) strategy.Design: A multi-method design integrating focus groups with a quilting activity.Setting: Annual General Meeting of the Parent and Child Assistance Program (PCAP)—a prevention program for women at risk for drug and/or alcohol-exposed pregnancies and live births.Participants: Forty-seven FASD prevention specialists from across Alberta, Canada.Measurements: Triangulation across data sources: seven focus groups and 49 quilting pieces.Results: Thematic analysis revealed four themes: change as a process, client-advocate connection, ecological understanding, and evidence-based practice. The findings from this study contribute improved understanding about the significance of relationships, reflection, and research in the work of FASD prevention specialists.Conclusions: A multi-methods approach (focus groups with a quilting activity) provided an appropriate and trustworthy means of accessing the prevention specialists’ programmatic experience; that experience has the strong potential for informing future FASD policy, strategic planning, and programming.

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