What’s New in FASD Prevention Research? Highlights from the Annotated Bibliography of Articles Published in 2024

This year’s Annotated Bibliography of Articles Published in 2024 was just released – just in time for FASD Awareness Month! The Annotated Bibliography is a resource that is prepared by researchers associated with the Prevention Network Action Team (pNAT) of the CanFASD Research Network.  our goal is to update all those involved in FASD prevention on the latest research that can inform their practice and policy work.

This year’s Annotated Bibliography included 107 English-language articles from 24 countries. Countries with the highest number of articles published were the USA (52 articles), Canada (12 articles), Australia (11 articles), and the United Kingdom (7 articles). However, we also saw research for countries such as Chile, Panama, Qatar, and Slovakia –which have been less represented previously in the English-language research on FASD prevention. The findings were organized using a four-part prevention model used by the pNAT (below) to describe the wide range of work that comprises FASD prevention.

This year,

• 32 articles explored the prevalence of, and influences related to, alcohol use during pregnancy;

• 15 articles described Level 1 prevention efforts;

• 26 articles described Level 2 prevention efforts;

• 16 articles described Level 3 prevention efforts;

• 11 articles described Level 4 prevention efforts;

• 15 articles described supportive alcohol and child welfare policy; and

• 14 articles described stigma, ethical issues, and systemic approaches.

Factors Associated with Alcohol Use in Pregnancy

Consistent with previous years, we continue to see a high proportion of articles about the prevalence, factors, and influences associated with alcohol use in pregnancy. This year, the findings about prevalence and influences emphasized that alcohol use varies greatly and is dependent on social determinants of health and structural, information, stress and preconception and prenatal health related factors. This year, we also began to organize the areas of influence using these five key categories – thus expanding how we understand and respond to, the risk factors associated with alcohol use in pregnancy.

Highlights from Level 1 Prevention: Broad awareness building

There were three key themes identified in this level of prevention: 1) how to raise awareness of alcohol use in pregnancy in a digital context; 2) alcohol use guidelines; and 3) alcohol warning labels. One study emphasized how alcohol warning labels remain a key component of a comprehensive alcohol control strategy. As such, it complemented the several studies that explored the evidence on how different types of alcohol warning labels (e.g., cancer warning labels) can also encourage a reduction of alcohol use in pregnancy.

Highlights from Level 2 Prevention: Discussions of alcohol use with all women of childbearing years

Research on Level 2 prevention focused on opportunities to improve screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) – including in different practice settings. Several studies described the efforts from a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control in the USA to promote SBIRT. Such efforts have included a partnership between healthcare providers and women with lived experience of having a child with FASD, which has increased healthcare providers’ understanding of FASD, while also addressing stigma associated with alcohol use during pregnancy.

Highlights from Level 3 and 4 Prevention: Specialized, holistic support for pregnant and postpartum women experiencing alcohol and other health and social issues

There was a larger emphasis on live-in treatment for pregnant and parenting women with substance use concerns. For example, a study examined how age, rurality, race/ethnicity, among other factors impacted treatment outcomes for pregnant and parenting women. The findings suggested that most women achieved the treatment program goals regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, or location, and how treatment duration was positively associated with success. Other studies from these two levels of prevention focused on specific approaches including case management, home visiting, alcohol pharmacotherapies, family centred treatments, and a collaboration between the housing and substance use systems of care.

Supportive Alcohol and Child Welfare Policies

Finally, we saw many studies on how alcohol policy could support alcohol prevention and the need for equitable policies that are supportive of women and children.

The annual literature search is intended to provide an update on the current evidence to those involved in FASD prevention in Canada, to inform practice and policy. The members of the pNAT also discuss the implications of the findings for their work in monthly web meetings.

You can access the annotated bibliography here, and view previous annotated bibliographies here.