Alcohol Consumption and Birth Weight

     The effects of maternal consumption of alcohol is an issue that seems to gain more attention every year. Drinking alcohol while pregnant has proven to have some negative impacts on infant development. The article, “Moderate Alcohol Use during Pregnancy and Decreased Infant Birth Weight,” studies the correlation between birth weight and alcohol use, as well as looking at other factors such as smoking. The article tested 263 pregnant woman, each one giving birth to one child. Using only two categories: ‘some alcohol intake’ and ‘no alcohol intake’, the specific regression equation used showed no large correlation between drinking and infant weight. However, significant alcohol intake showed to have large effects on fetal development. Babies born to mothers that consume alcohol often had a lower birth weight than those born to mothers that did not.

     This study only tested white middle class females having single babies. The article claims maternal weight and age could have impacted the birth weight, but were not taken into account in this experiment. It would be interesting to see if they tested a more diverse population. That way, it could be tested if different ages, weights, and nationalities yield different birth weights. The article concludes by mentioning a lower birth weight does not necessarily mean an unhealthy child. However, low birth weights could mean the infant has growth retardation. It would be interesting if the study followed the infants born to mothers consuming alcohol, and tested any health or growth problems later in life.

http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.67.12.1154