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Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Preschool Physical Growth: A Longitudinal Analysis
Author(s) -
Greene Tom,
Ernhart Claire B.,
Sokol Robert J.,
Martier Sue,
Marler Matthew R.,
Boyd Thomas A.,
Ager Joel
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1991.tb05186.x
Subject(s) - prenatal alcohol exposure , fetal alcohol syndrome , pregnancy , medicine , prenatal exposure , alcohol , head circumference , fetal growth , cohort , birth weight , cohort study , early childhood , circumference , obstetrics , demography , pediatrics , fetus , gestation , psychology , developmental psychology , biology , biochemistry , genetics , geometry , mathematics , sociology
This report examines the effects of fetal alcohol exposure on size and growth in an urban cohort followed prospectively through early childhood. Indices of prenatal drinking were related to measurements of weight, stature (length), and head circumference obtained at birth and during five subsequent in‐home assessments. Small but statistically Significant relationships were detected between short‐term recall estimates of drinking during pregnancy and weight and length at birth. The strength of these relationships diminished during the preschool assessments. However, estimates of catch‐up growth associated with alcohol exposure were not statistically significant. With the exception of a single case with a profile of signs characteristic of fetal alcohol syndrome, an adverse effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on head circumference was not indicated.