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Green CR, Harding KD, Unsworth K, Kaminsky K, Roberts N, Nagpal TS, Cook JL. Reporting on Health Care and Social Service Provider Approaches to Promoting Alcohol Abstinence During Pregnancy. SOCIAL WORK IN PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 39:422-433. [PMID: 38713493 DOI: 10.1080/19371918.2024.2323136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Despite the known detrimental health effects of alcohol use during pregnancy, there are still health care (HCP) and social service providers (SSP) who do not promote complete abstinence. The purpose of this study was to explore the current practices of HCPs and SSPs when discussing alcohol use during pregnancy, and to understand their rationale for their specific recommendations. An online survey was completed by 1123 HCPs (n = 588) and SSPs (n = 535) that asked them to identify their approach to discussing alcohol and pregnancy. Participants had the option to further explain their current recommendations regarding alcohol use during pregnancy in an open-ended format. Open-ended responses were analyzed using a content analysis approach (n = 156). The majority of respondents recommend abstinence (83.9% of HCPs, n = 493; 78.4% of SSPs, n = 419), while 9.8% of HCPs (n = 57) and 2.2% of SSPs (n = 12) responded that low levels of consumption may be acceptable. HCPs may recommend low levels of consumption based on other international guidelines, limited evidence to suggest that one unit of alcohol is harmful, and as a harm reduction strategy. SSPs stated that they refer clients to HCPs for recommendations related to alcohol consumption, and that they prefer to provide information based on public health guidelines. This exploratory work may inform the development of resources to support HCPs and SSPs to recommend abstinence from alcohol throughout gestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney R Green
- The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kelly D Harding
- The Canada Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research Network, Vancouver, BC Canada
- Psychology Department, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Kathy Unsworth
- The Canada Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research Network, Vancouver, BC Canada
| | - Kyla Kaminsky
- The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Taniya S Nagpal
- Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jocelynn L Cook
- The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Canada Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research Network, Vancouver, BC Canada
- The University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Wolfson L, Poole N. Supportive alcohol policy as a key element of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention. WOMEN'S HEALTH (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2023; 19:17455057231151838. [PMID: 36718116 PMCID: PMC9893348 DOI: 10.1177/17455057231151838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
In Canada, a Four-Part Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Prevention has been developed that describes a continuum of multi-sectoral efforts, including broad awareness campaigns, safe and respectful conversations around pregnancy and alcohol use, and holistic and wraparound support services for pregnant and postpartum women with alcohol, and other health and social concerns. Supportive alcohol policy is at the centre of the four mutually reinforcing levels of prevention. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe alcohol policies related to specific levels of FASD prevention, and to consider the implications of alcohol policies on FASD prevention and women's and fetal health. The majority of the evidence focused on alcohol in pregnancy guidelines, alcohol warning labels, and knowledge and uptake of national or regional alcohol and pregnancy guidelines. Several US studies described shifts in alcohol and pregnancy policy over the 7-year period, including moves to punitive approaches that criminalize women's substance use or prompt child apprehension. This review indicates that more attention could be paid to the role of alcohol policy in FASD prevention and in promoting women's and fetal health, and that policy actions and advocacy could be important catalysts for both FASD prevention and women's health promotion. Moving forward, it is essential that alcohol policies are rooted in evidence; attend to and promote women's health including health during pregnancy; and are collaborative in order to prompt a higher standard of care, and more holistically respond to the factors that contribute to women's alcohol use during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay Wolfson
- Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Canada FASD Research Network, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Lindsay Wolfson, Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, E209-4500 Oak Street Box 48, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada.
| | - Nancy Poole
- Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Canada FASD Research Network, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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MacKillop J, Agabio R, Feldstein Ewing SW, Heilig M, Kelly JF, Leggio L, Lingford-Hughes A, Palmer AA, Parry CD, Ray L, Rehm J. Hazardous drinking and alcohol use disorders. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2022; 8:80. [PMID: 36550121 PMCID: PMC10284465 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-022-00406-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol is one of the most widely consumed psychoactive drugs globally. Hazardous drinking, defined by quantity and frequency of consumption, is associated with acute and chronic morbidity. Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are psychiatric syndromes characterized by impaired control over drinking and other symptoms. Contemporary aetiological perspectives on AUDs apply a biopsychosocial framework that emphasizes the interplay of genetics, neurobiology, psychology, and an individual's social and societal context. There is strong evidence that AUDs are genetically influenced, but with a complex polygenic architecture. Likewise, there is robust evidence for environmental influences, such as adverse childhood exposures and maladaptive developmental trajectories. Well-established biological and psychological determinants of AUDs include neuroadaptive changes following persistent use, differences in brain structure and function, and motivational determinants including overvaluation of alcohol reinforcement, acute effects of environmental triggers and stress, elevations in multiple facets of impulsivity, and lack of alternative reinforcers. Social factors include bidirectional roles of social networks and sociocultural influences, such as public health control strategies and social determinants of health. An array of evidence-based approaches for reducing alcohol harms are available, including screening, pharmacotherapies, psychological interventions and policy strategies, but are substantially underused. Priorities for the field include translating advances in basic biobehavioural research into novel clinical applications and, in turn, promoting widespread implementation of evidence-based clinical approaches in practice and health-care systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- James MacKillop
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, McMaster University & St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
- Homewood Research Institute, Guelph, ON, Canada.
| | - Roberta Agabio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
- Neuroscience Institute, Section of Cagliari, National Research Council, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Sarah W Feldstein Ewing
- Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Markus Heilig
- Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - John F Kelly
- Recovery Research Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lorenzo Leggio
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Anne Lingford-Hughes
- Division of Psychiatry, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry & Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Charles D Parry
- Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Lara Ray
- Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jürgen Rehm
- Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation; & Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto (UofT), Toronto, Canada
- WHO European Region Collaborating Centre at Public Health Institute of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
- Technische Universität Dresden, Klinische Psychologie & Psychotherapie, Dresden, Germany
- Department of International Health Projects, Institute for Leadership and Health Management, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
- Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Suchtforschung der Universität Hamburg (ZIS), Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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AlShamlan NA. Screening and management of tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy drug use in Saudi Arabia: uptake and practices from primary care physicians' perspective. Fam Pract 2022; 39:1031-1040. [PMID: 35616127 DOI: 10.1093/fampra/cmac048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Screening and management of tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy drug use by primary care physicians are crucial because a minority of individuals seek medical advice. However, data regarding this practice are limited. The study objective was to assess the screening practices of primary care physicians in Saudi Arabia for tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy drug use, barriers to screening, and management of such cases. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, an online survey was sent to primary care physicians in Saudi Arabia. RESULTS A total of 952 physicians participated in the study. Most did not use validated screening tools. A significant proportion of physicians believed that the patient could not answer accurately about using alcohol or drugs and considered it socially unacceptable to ask about these substances. Family physicians screened their patients more frequently for smoking than general practitioners (P < 0.05). More years of experience and practice in the Northern Province of Saudi Arabia were predictors of frequent screening for alcohol and drug use (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). Providing information about the risks of these behaviours and brief motivational interviews were the most reported practices. CONCLUSIONS Most physicians did not utilize validated screening tools. Addressing these barriers is a crucial step in initiating effective screening programmes. Several barriers have been reported from the physicians' perspective; further study to explore these issues from patients' perspectives is suggested. Moreover, raising physicians' awareness about using validated screening tools and locally available services is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nouf A AlShamlan
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
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