Preventing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one of the most preventable causes of birth defects. This presentation detailed characteristics of those with FAS, including central nervous system dysfunction and specific patterns of facial features, as well as described the effects of FAS on human development. In addition, the presentation explained how an intervention study called Project CHOICES (Changing High-Risk AlcOhol use and Increasing Contraception Effectiveness Study) seeks to understand those who might drink during pregnancy, design an intervention to change risk behaviors based on their understanding of this population, and then evaluate the impact of the intervention.
Louise Floyd, RN, DSN
R. Louise Floyd, RN, DSN is a behavioral scientist and Team Leader of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Prevention Team, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Floyd received her BS degree in nursing from Berea College, Berea, Kentucky; a master's in nursing from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; and a doctorate of nursing from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She joined CDC in 1988, and has been working in the field of FAS since 1992. The FAS Prevention Team carries out a comprehensive program involving more than 30 cooperative agreements that conduct surveillance and prevention research and service delivery programs. Dr. Floyd oversees the National Task Force on FAS/FAE established in 2000, served as its first executive secretary, and currently serves as the Federal Delegated Official. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and is a recipient of the Faye Abdellah Publication Award, the highest award in the U.S. Public Health Service given to a nurse for contributions to the scientific literature. Her research interest is prenatal alcohol exposure and its prevention.
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