Developing Educational Materials for Prevention of FAS/FASD in Russia

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is one of the most severe outcomes of alcohol use during pregnancy with more children suffering from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Russia is a country with very high levels of alcohol consumption and increasingly hazardous drinking in women. Although the rates of FAS and FASD in the general population in Russia are not precisely known, resent studies found extremely high rates of FAS in Russian orphanages. Our prior study findings found limited knowledge about FAS and misconceptions about alcohol use during pregnancy in both women and health professionals, and a lack of materials and print resources. The data indicate that alcohol exposed pregnancies (AEP) are a major public health concern and suggest that interventions by physicians may be particularly salient and influential for women in Russia. Based on these findings, a study is being undertaken to develop and evaluate training materials for Russian health professionals and educational print materials for women. The FAS Curriculum Framework and materials developed by CDC, NIH, and other organizations were used to develop educational materials for women and health professionals in Russia. The developed materials are being tested in randomized trials in a pre-post test design to determine their effectiveness in changing knowledge and attitudes related to FAS/FASD prevention. The project is being conducted in collaboration with St. Petersburg State University at continuing medical education programs and women's clinics in two regions in Russia. This presentation will describe the approach used to develop culturally sensitive materials, present the materials, and highlight the major results of the evaluation. The dissemination and use of the materials for AEP prevention in Russia will be discussed. The study is funded by CDC, NCBDDD through a cooperative agreement with AUCD, Grants No. AUCD RTOI 2005-999-01 and RTOI 2007-999-02.