"THE HEART OF THE MATTER"
a special program of the National Emergency Medicine Association (NEMA)
Week: 581.2
Guest: Beth Luman, Statistician, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Unit, CDC
Topic: More pregnant women drinking heavily
Host/Producer: Steve Girard
NEMA: More women are drinking while pregnant...coming up...
SPOT: 15 years in the prevention of heart disease, stroke and trauma- the National Emergency Medicine Association. Call 800-332-6362.
NEMA: A startling result of a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control...this is statistician Beth Luman of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome prevention unit...
LUMAN: What we found was an increase in drinking among pregnant women from 1991 to 1995...particularly in frequent drinking, which at the heavier level...7 or more drinks per week - or at least one occasion of five or more drinks in the past month. That level of frequent drinking increased four fold...from point 8 percent in 1991, to 3 and a half percent in 1995.
NEMA: And though 3 and a half percent doesn't sound like a lot...
LUMAN: turns out to about 140 thousand pregnant women a year in this country who are drinking at those levels...and in addition, there were 16 percent who reported any drinking during pregnancy....which is quite high.
NEMA: The CDC has information on the terrible effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome on babies, and how to get help...call 770-488-7268. I'm Steve Girard at The Heart of the Matter.