Public awareness and knowledge about the risks of drinking during pregnancy in Multnomah County, Oregon.

Public awareness of the risks of drinking during pregnancy was assessed in a Northwestern metropolitan county. Ninety per cent of respondents stated spontaneously that drinking might be harmful, and one-fourth of this group felt pregnant women should customarily abstain from alcohol. The balance of those who considered drinking harmful felt an average of more than three drinks was safe for daily use. Thus awareness of risk does not necessarily result in recommendation of low-risk behavior.

Change in obstetrician advice following a two-year community educational program on alcohol use and pregnancy.

A professional education program about the risks of drinking during pregnancy was conducted from 1979 to 1981 in King County, Washington. Advice of obstetricians to patients was measured both before and after the program. There was a significant increase in the proportion of obstetricians asking about current alcohol use of patients and in the proportion routinely recommending that alcohol be limited during pregnancy. When asked by their patients about the possible effects of alcohol on the fetus, obstetricians were more likely to mention fetal alcohol syndrome as a specific risk after the educational program. Patients of these obstetricians also reported similar, although somewhat more conservative attitudes. While no control group without access to the educational program was available, sources of information about drinking and pregnancy cited by obstetricians indicated that the program was influential in the change that occurred in the 2-year period.