The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

3342.0: Monday, November 11, 2002 - 8:30 PM

Abstract #44829

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Current prevention practices

Madeleine F. Wallace, PhD1, Samia Noursi, PhD1, Gabriella Newes-Adeyi, PhD1, Deborah Stone, PhD2, and Paul Brounstein, PhD3. (1) FAS Center for Excellence, Northrop Grumman Information Technology, 1700 Research Boulevard, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850, (301) 294-5409, mwallace@hq.row.com, (2) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockwall II, Suite 1075, Rockville, MD 20857, (3) Divison of State and Community Systems, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockwall II - Suite 930, Rockville, MD 20857

The literature reviews on fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) indicate that most of the existing prevention strategies have either not been evaluated or have not been evaluated appropriately. Since FAS is the primary known cause of mental retardation in the United States and it is 100% preventable, it is crucial to understand current approaches to prevention practices in the field. To gain an understanding of the programs and their evaluation components, this paper will present the results of an in depth inventory of FAS prevention programs in the United States. The comprehensive assessment will be divided into three sections. The first section will cover the state of knowledge in alcohol and pregnancy. It will address the gaps between scientific research, traditional, and innovative practices. The second section will describe and document different features of prevention programs by State. Programs will be categorized using standard classifications as well as by the categories resulted from the review conducted. In addition, existing criteria to evaluate programs and a new ground-up approach will be discussed. The third section focuses on gaps in current services, strategies to improve current delivery services, and recommendations to foster a continuous dialogue between the scientific community and program developers.

Learning Objectives: At the end of the session,participants will be able to

Keywords: Birth Defects, Alcohol

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: contract

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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA