Preventing Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies 

Improving Community-Based Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Efforts Using the

Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Methodology 

Prenatal exposure to alcohol is one of the leading preventable causes of birth defects, mental retardation, and neurodevelopmental disorders in the United States. One of the national health objectives for 2010 is to increase the percentage of pregnant women abstaining from alcohol from 86% to 94%. According to national data collected in 2002 by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 10% of women reported drinking alcohol during pregnancy. CDC studies have documented fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) prevalence rates ranging from 0.2 to 1.5 per 1,000 live births.  

Funded Project: 

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists—Washington, D.C.

The National Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Program (FIMR) is a collaborative effort between the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration. FIMR is a community-based program to improve the health and well-being of women, infants, and families.  

The goal of this project is to use the established FIMR process to expand the knowledge base about service systems, specifically the personal knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of women who have experienced a loss that might be associated with infant morbidity and mortality due to prenatal alcohol exposure, and to suggest areas where service system improvements, or enhanced health education, might improve outcomes for future families.