| ■ Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Linked to Behavior Problems in Teens | 2011.03.26 |
FRIDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Teens whose mothers drank alcohol regularly throughout the first trimester of pregnancy have a threefold increased risk of developing severe behavior problems, a new study warns. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Medical Center analyzed data collected from 592 children and their mothers. The mothers were evaluated when four and seven months pregnant and shortly after childbirth and then, along with their children, when the children were 8 months old, 18 months old and 3, 6, 10, 14 and 16 years old. The quantity, frequency and patterns of alcohol use -- including beer, wine and liquor -- by the women during pregnancy were summarized as average daily alcohol consumption. When the children were 16 years old, those whose mothers had consumed, on average, one or more alcoholic drinks a day in the first trimester of pregnancy were three times more likely to meet the criteria for conduct disorder than were teens whose mothers had consumed less than one drink a day or no alcohol at all, the investigators found. |