Women with higher levels of income and education are more likely to drink alcohol weekly during their pregnancy, new figures have shown.
While more than one in 10 mothers (13 per cent) smoked all the way through their pregnancy, there was an increased risk of smoking linked to being poor and having lower levels of education.
The findings are from a new report, Maternal Health Behaviours and Child Growth in Infancy, published as part of the Growing Up in Ireland study.
The report draws on data from a cohort of 11,134 infants and their families.
Women with higher levels of education and income being more likely to drink alcohol in pregnancy was a “common finding internationally”, said Prof Richard Layte of the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and co-author of the report .
Acceptable risk
“As to why, we don’t have exact data on this. Clearly those women feel that it’s an acceptable risk. The guidelines in Ireland are women should not drink in pregnancy.
“There is no strong evidence at the moment that low consumption of alcohol has a long-term impact on the child. That might be wrong, just the studies haven’t shown yet. We are reliant on observational studies,” he said.
“They tend to be more regular drinkers but quite less likely to binge-drink. A unit is about a glass of wine, not very strong wine, or half a pint of beer, of not very strong beer,” he said.
Source: Rachel Flaherty, Irish Times, 15/01/15
Safer Student Nights
eBulletin
Poll
