Stella F Usifoh
,
Isabel N Aika,
Oghenemine N Ogugu,
Valentine U Odili
For correspondence:- Stella Usifoh Email: sfusifoh@uniben.edu Tel: +2348025600615
Published: 28 December 2018
Citation: Usifoh SF, Aika IN, Ogugu ON, Odili VU. Alcohol consumption: Prevalence, its predictors and knowledge of its harmful effects among pregnant women in Niger Delta, Nigeria. J Sci Pract Pharm 2018; 5(1):211-213 doi: 10.47227/jsppharm.v5i1.10
© 2018 The author(s).
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Purpose: This study determines the prevalence of alcohol consumption in pregnancy and its predictors, and knowledge of its harmful effects among the women of the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study of pregnant women was conducted. Their demographics, reasons for consumption of alcohol before and after pregnancy, knowledge of its harmful fetal effects of were assessed. Results: More than half (75%) of respondents took alcohol before pregnancy, while 29.3% of respondents took alcohol during pregnancy. Reasons for consumption during pregnancy were to prevent spitting, nausea and vomiting 47 (7.8%), twenty-four (4%) of the respondents believed alcohol makes the baby small for delivery, while 34 (5.6%) believed it makes them strong for daily activities. More than half of the participants (55.7%) were unaware of the harmful effects of alcohol, with only 22 (3.6%) were aware of fetal alcohol syndrome. Conclusion: Prevalence of alcohol is high and is more in Delta than Edo State. Many of the pregnant women are unaware of the detrimental effects of alcohol to fetus especially fetal alcohol syndrome. There is need for educational campaigns on abstinence of alcohol among women of child-bearing age.
