Characteristics of Grandmothers who have Grandchildren with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Incomplete Fetal Alcohol SyndromeMaternal and Child Health Journal, Online First, 15 January 2008
Characteristics of Northern Plains American Indian maternal grandmothers who had grandchildren with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or incomplete FAS are described to more effectively prevent fetal FAS and alcohol use during pregnancy.
Study 1 had 27 maternal grandmothers who had grandchildren with FAS and Study 2 had 18 grandmothers with grandchildren who had incomplete FAS (cases) which were compared with 119 maternal grandmothers who had grandchildren without FAS (controls). The grandchildren were born between 1981 and 1993 on the Northern Plains. Medical records were manually reviewed for each case and control grandmother. Data were analyzed using Mantel–Haenszel chi square.
Study 1 case grandmothers were more likely to experience medical problems (70.4%) including trauma (48.1%) and injuries (51.9%) than the controls. Most of the Study 1 and 2 case grandmothers (92.6% and 77.8%, respectively) had alcohol use documented in their medical records compared to less than half of the control grandmothers. Seven (15.6%) of the case grandmothers had more than one grandchild in either Study 1 or Study 2.
Maternal grandmothers who had grandchildren with FAS had significantly higher rates of alcohol use and alcohol-related medical problems than control grandmothers.
Antenatal care providers should screen pregnant women for alcohol use at their first visit. The provider needs to ask the women who are using alcohol about their mothers’ use of alcohol to provide appropriate care and counseling for the women and prevent FAS.
Request Reprint E-Mail: kvig6@aol.comStudy 1 had 27 maternal grandmothers who had grandchildren with FAS and Study 2 had 18 grandmothers with grandchildren who had incomplete FAS (cases) which were compared with 119 maternal grandmothers who had grandchildren without FAS (controls). The grandchildren were born between 1981 and 1993 on the Northern Plains. Medical records were manually reviewed for each case and control grandmother. Data were analyzed using Mantel–Haenszel chi square.
Study 1 case grandmothers were more likely to experience medical problems (70.4%) including trauma (48.1%) and injuries (51.9%) than the controls. Most of the Study 1 and 2 case grandmothers (92.6% and 77.8%, respectively) had alcohol use documented in their medical records compared to less than half of the control grandmothers. Seven (15.6%) of the case grandmothers had more than one grandchild in either Study 1 or Study 2.
Maternal grandmothers who had grandchildren with FAS had significantly higher rates of alcohol use and alcohol-related medical problems than control grandmothers.
Antenatal care providers should screen pregnant women for alcohol use at their first visit. The provider needs to ask the women who are using alcohol about their mothers’ use of alcohol to provide appropriate care and counseling for the women and prevent FAS.
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