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A few of our Prevention Network (pNAT) members recently spotted an online article entitled “Demonising smoking and drinking in pregnancy may lead women to do it in private, says study.” Read the online article about the study here.
This study from the University of Cardiff in Wales has confirmed what most women’s health advocates know – that judging pregnant women for behaviours that may negatively affect fetal and child health, did not cause them to stop, but instead caused them avoid public and professional scrutiny, and to use in private. Women felt judged by healthcare professionals for their smoking and poverty, which made interactions with health care providers awkward. (See journal article on the study here.)
In the research 10 low-income, pregnant women in Wales were asked to “tell their stories” including how pregnancy affects their everyday life. Although smoking was discussed extensively by the women, interviewers did not raise the topic during the interviews. As part of their stories, women described their smoking behaviours, and reactions from the public, family, friends, and health care providers.
 Liberation: Helping Women Quit Smoking |
 Doorways to Conversation |
This study underscores what we know about substance use prevention in general – shame and stigma are not solutions to helping people change use, and specifically that the judgement of health professionals is tied to not accessing the support that is needed and deserved. In that way, the professionals become part of the problem instead of the solution. Evidence has established that using non-judgmental approaches are key to supporting behaviour change. These approaches emphasise harm reduction and employ collaborative and empathic conversations that respect individuals’ self determination and understand the underlying issues of substance use problems. Further to collaborative conversations, it is critical to understand substance use, and challenges to change substance use, as related to the burdens of violence and poverty faced by women – this forces us to move beyond a focus on individual behaviour and instead to action for social justice on these conditions of women’s lives.
 Collaborative Approaches for Health Care Professionals |
 Indigenous Approaches to FASD Prevention |
 Mothercraft Study: “A Focus on Relationships” |
The pNAT has written extensively about the importance of non-judgmental Level 2 discussions with women and their partners about alcohol, other substance use and the determinants of health that affect use. Included here are some resources that can help practitioners to engage in those discussions with women in a way that builds connection and relationship and supports movement toward positive change in alcohol and tobacco use, and related health and social concerns. As well, practitioners can connect to local pregnancy and addictions support programs to learn what community action to address stigma and promote social justice is underway.
References
Weinberger, A. H., Platt, J., Esan, H., Galea, S., Erlich, D., & Goodwin, R. D. (2017). Cigarette Smoking is Associated with Increased Risk of Substance Use Disorder Relapse: A Nationally Representative, Prospective Longitudinal Investigation. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 78(2), e152-e160.
See earlier posts
LINKING CANNABIS USE WITH ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO November 13, 2018
NEW RESOURCES FOR COLLABORATIVE CONVERSATIONS ON SUBSTANCE USE WITH GIRLS AND WOMEN June 18, 2018
REACHING AND ENGAGING WOMEN: WHAT WORKS AND WHAT’S NEEDED May 15, 2017
TARGETING STIGMA AND FASD IN MANITOBA June 26, 2017
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND ALCOHOL USE DURING PREGNANCY August 18, 2015
BRIEF INTERVENTIONS TO DECREASE ALCOHOL MISUSE IN WOMEN November 26, 2013
LET’S START A CONVERSATION ABOUT HEALTH . . . AND NOT TALK ABOUT HEALTH CARE AT ALL June 23, 2011
The Hope Project app
A perinatal mental health research project in Alberta, The Hope Project, is exploring how e-technology can be used to support pregnant women with mental health concerns. Dr. Dawn Kingston and her team at the University of Calgary developed an app for screening and treating pregnant women experiencing anxiety and depression. It provides information, support, and help to women in the research study whenever they need it. The project will also look at how this intervention affects post-partum depression and the health of their children.
SmartMom Canada, was developed as part of a study from the University of British Columbia. Through text messaging, Optimal Birth BC provides women in Northern BC with prenatal education endorsed by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC). Many of these women live in rural areas and may have limited access to prenatal care. Women who enroll in the study complete a confidential survey and then receive personalized text messages that include pregnancy tips, info on health topics, and available resources in their own community.
SmartMom Canada app
As well, apps are being targeted to health care providers on improving the care they provide. A preconception care app available to physicians provides them with information from the National Preconception Health and Health Care Initiative and makes suggestions for responding to patient questions. Research is being done on using an app to provide motivational interviewing interventions to pregnant women who use substances.
Most apps available on smartphones are directed toward the general population and seek a large user base. Mental health apps and substance use apps that might support prevention, are not designed specifically for women, pregnant or not. And most pregnancy apps focus on fetal growth and “kick counters”, the woman’s weight and blood pressure, and checklists to get ready for a child.
So, while there is an app for everything, they may not an app for everyone. However, healthcare technology is growing at a fast pace, so hopefully we will see more apps in future that can expand FASD prevention efforts.
Related topics:
TEXT4BABY PROGRAM IN THE UNITED STATES: CAN TEXT MESSAGING BE AN EFFECTIVE ALCOHOL BRIEF INTERVENTION? February 2, 2015
HEALTHY PREGNANCY, HEALTHY BABY TEXT MESSAGING SERVICE IN TANZANIA December 17, 2013
A lot of progress has been made on effective FASD awareness and prevention strategies. Early efforts often used disrespectful tactics like unsettling pictures of women slugging down alcohol from a bottle while pregnant with a caption such as “Baby or the Bottle.” Those approaches have largely been abandoned. But one overly simple statement still pops up. And that is, “FASD is 100% Preventable.”
That statement is misleading because it suggests that FASD prevention is unidimensional and linked only to alcohol consumption. But alcohol use during pregnancy is linked to the social determinants of health, and its effects can be exacerbated by food insecurity, trauma, poverty and multi-substance use. It also suggests that stopping drinking is a simple choice. It puts the onus on the individual woman to make that choice and contributes to shame if they do not stop before they become pregnant. But in reality, there are many influences on women’s alcohol use, and real challenges to quitting before you know you are pregnant. Indeed, almost half of pregnancies are unplanned, so it is very challenging to be alcohol free before a pregnancy is confirmed.
In the case of other substances like tobacco or prescription painkillers, the public discourse extends beyond the individual user to corporate responsibilities, physicians and health authorities to provide harm reduction and treatment programs, and of governments to provide regulation and enforcement and policies that work toward social equity.
If we extend this perspective to alcohol use during pregnancy, we must speak about the responsibilities of the alcohol industry for targeting girls and women of childbearing age, and of health providers for providing comprehensive education and brief support during the preconception and prenatal periods. We must also consider the responsibilities of health services for providing integrated treatment programs for pregnant and parenting women; and of governments for ensuring gender equity and preventing violence against women.
Theoretically, stopping alcohol use in pregnancy, or ideally, before, sounds simple – just do it. But it takes a lot of individuals and sectors to do their part to make it realizable. Simplifying it to statements like “FASD is 100% preventable” is not the best approach.
These previous blogs illustrate the full context of FASD and prevention approaches.
HOUSING IS KEY COMPONENT TO WOMEN’S RECOVERY, August 19, 2017
TARGETING STIGMA AND FASD IN MANITOBA, June 26, 2017
HEAVY DRINKING AMONG WOMEN: NORMALISING, MORALISING AND THE FACTS, Jan 24, 2017
FASD IS A PUBLIC SAFETY AND JUSTICE PRIORITY FOR ABORIGINAL GROUPS, October 23, 2016
HOW DO PARTNERS AFFECT WOMEN’S ALCOHOL USE DURING PREGNANCY? August 11, 2014
Developed by the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute, the FASD Training Package for Post-Secondary Instructors is a resource for post-secondary instructors and professors.
The focus of the resource is on understanding and preventing FASD. It can be used to provide information and education about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) to students enrolled in professional programs leading to a career working with women of child bearing age.
Examples of programs include that this resource might be helpful for include: health care, education, justice, addictions, psychology, social work, and other community services’ programs (e.g., Early Childhood Education, Disability Support Worker, and Correctional Studies.)
The teaching package contains 11 modules with references. These modules provide evidence-based information on topics such as “What is FASD”, “Alcohol, Women, and Pregnancy”, “Prevention of FASD”, and “Primary and Secondary Disabilities”.
A downloadable PowerPoint with teaching notes is ready for use in class. Both the PowerPoint and written modules contain case studies, activities, and discussion questions that may be used with any group.
Download the package from the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute’s website.
HerWay Home in Victoria, BC is organizing a community conference and networking event for September 29, 2014.
HerWay Home is a child-focused, women-centred, family-oriented drop-in and outreach program for pregnant women and new moms with substance use challenges and their children.
When: Monday September 29, 2014
Where: DaVinci Centre, 195 Bay Street, Victoria
Time: 09:00 – 4:00
Cost: Free to those attendees from Vancouver Island. A minimal charge of $50 to attendees from off the island.
Who should attend: HWH works with women who are pregnant or early parenting and also affected by substance use, mental health issues, violence, and trauma. This conference will be of interest to those working with women or in settings that are more focused on working with the baby (such as the NICU, foster care etc.), along with those working on the social determinants of health such as housing, poverty, food security.
Registration information will be available in August. For more information or if you have any questions please contact HerWay Home at Herwayhome@viha.ca
For more information about HerWay Home, see earlier posts:
- HerWay Home Program for Pregnant Women and New Mothers in Victoria, BC (February 12, 2013)
- Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women Who Use Substances: What Communities are Doing to Help (October 1, 2012)
