The resource can easily be used by communities to inform the public, particularly women in their childbearing years, about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Individuals have the ability to change their lifestyle.
They can eliminate this risk factor and ensure that fetal growth and development is unhampered by the effects of alcohol. Alcohol related birth defects reflect a continuum of effects from severe Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to less severe Fetal Alcohol Effects. Research shows that risks of birth defects increase in populations of women who have consumed alcohol during pregnancy. This syndrome is clearly identified and documented with objective clinical indicators such as craniofacial and limb defects, cardiovascular defects, low birthweight, physical, behavioural, and developmental delays. Statistics do not refer to the number of specific cases of FAE but rather refer to entire populations.