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Preventing Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies
Project BALANCE
(Birth Control and ALcohol
Awareness: Negotiating
Choices Effectively)
Preventing Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies in Adolescents
Many young women in the United States who
drink alcohol and have unprotected sex are putting themselves at risk
for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy. Not much is known about the
relationship between moderate-to-heavy alcohol use, unprotected sex, and
unplanned pregnancies in young women. Well-designed epidemiological and
behavioral studies are needed to better understand and intervene with
this population. The following project explored these issues.
Funded Project:
Virginia Commonwealth University—Richmond, Virginia
Project BALANCE consisted of (1) a brief epidemiologic survey, (2)
focus groups, and (3) a randomized, controlled trial of a motivational
intervention directed at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) college
students from 18 to 24 years of age. The intervention was a modified
form of Project CHOICES, a pre-conceptional,
motivational intervention designed collaboratively with CDC and three
institutions, of which VCU was one. Project BALANCE’s objectives were to
identify the prevalence of risky drinking and contraceptive behaviors in
this population, and to test the efficacy of an intervention in a
randomized trial comparing a group receiving both assessment and one
face-to-face session with a group receiving assessment only. A brief
survey was administered to college women to identify those eligible for
intervention and to further characterize the population. Focus groups
with college women also explored qualitative issues related to drinking,
contraception, and sexual behavior. The intervention focused both on
drinking and unprotected sex, allowing a woman to modify either or both
behaviors. Follow-up occurred at 1 month and 4 months.
Related Publications:
Ingersoll KS, Ceperich SD, Nettleman MD, Karanda K,
Brocksen S, Johnson BA. Reducing alcohol-exposed pregnancy risk in
college women: Initial outcomes of a clinical trial of a motivational
intervention. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
2005;29:173-180. [Abstract]
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