Despite recommendations to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy, nearly one in three pregnant women in Britain drinks alcohol, a survey of 11 European countries has shown. Britain (28.5%) scored highest in alcohol consumption during pregnancy, followed by Russia (26.5%) and Switzerland (20.9%).
In contrast, women in Norway (4.1%) were found to consume alcohol the least during pregnancy. They were followed by Sweden (7.2%) and Poland (9.7%).
“Differences in pregnant women’s drinking behaviour between countries can have many explanations besides variations in willingness of women to provide information about their alcohol consumption during pregnancy,” said Hedvig Nordeng, Professor from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
There could also be differences in national guidelines or educational campaigns about drinking during pregnancy, differences in prenatal care and attitudes towards alcohol use in pregnancy, or a combination of all these factors.
