Every moment matters in asking about alcohol in pregnancy
Understanding The Impact Of Alcohol In Pregnancy
There is a lot of misinformation about alcohol and pregnancy.
The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) has developed Every Moment Matters, a national health campaign supporting alcohol-free pregnancies and safe breastfeeding practices.
National Guidelines: Keeping Pregnancies Alcohol-Free
The campaign is based on the updated National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian Guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking. The Guidelines state:
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women who are pregnant should not drink alcohol
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women who are breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest for their baby
The Impact Of Every Moment Matters Campaign
The results of the ongoing external evaluation of the campaign demonstrate it is making a difference, with surveys of the target audience finding that between January 2022 and March 2023:
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82.3% of respondents stated there is no safe number of alcoholic drinks that can be consumed during pregnancy (up from 58.3%)
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80.3 % of respondents reported not drinking any alcohol in pregnancy (up from 68.8%)
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63.5% of respondents have heard of FASD (up from 52.3%)
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70.2% of respondents now know that FASD is a risk of alcohol consumption in pregnancy (up from 59.4%)
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90.9 per cent of respondents said they will not drink alcohol if they become pregnant (up from 82.6 per cent).
As a health professional, you play a crucial role in supporting families and providing advice about alcohol, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Free Accredited E-Learning Course
The Every Moment Matters eLearning course aims to support health professionals to provide advice based on the latest research and evidence.
The course is free and accredited by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the Australian College of Midwives (ACM), the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).
Positive Feedback From Health Professionals
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93% strongly recommend the course
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92% identified it as highly relevant
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91% recommended it to their colleagues
Enhancing Confidence And Knowledge
Health professionals also reported increases in their:
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Confidence in providing advice about alcohol & pregnancy, (from 61% to 87%)
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Confidence in providing advice about alcohol & breastfeeding (from 54% to 90%)
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Knowledge about referring for further support (from 44% to 76%)
Enrol for the course now, and learn more about Every Moment Matters.
References
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Caruso, J., Ellis, R., Miller, C., Bowden, J. National Awareness Campaign on Alcohol, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): Preliminary Impact of the Every Moment Matters Campaign on knowledge and behavioural intentions: South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. Adelaide, Australia: May 2023.
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Mattson SN, Bernes GA, Doyle LR. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: A review of the neurobehavioral deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2019; 43(6): 1046-1062.
NHMRC Australian guidelines to reduce health risks drinking alcohol 2020 https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-guidelines-reduce-health-risks-drinking-alcohol
Projects and Partnerships Director
Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education
Joanna is responsible for overseeing health promotion and partnerships at the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE).
Joanna has held a range of leadership roles in the not-for-profit and government sectors, with a focus on strategic communication, funding development, and community and stakeholder engagement.
She is a Board Director of Northside Community Service, and former Board Director of Women’s Legal Centre ACT and YWCA Canberra.
She holds a Master of Strategic Communication from the University of Canberra, and a Bachelor of Digital Media from the University of New South Wales.
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