ERIC Number: ED573637
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Mar-5
Pages: 32
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: An Evidence-Based Prevention Program for Adolescent and Adult Hispanic Females in the South Texas Border Region
Russell, Todd T.; Craddock, Christopher S.; Kodatt, Stephanie A.; Ramirez, Dora Maria
Online Submission
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) present serious problems for the twenty-first century. These disorders describe a variety of neurological and behavioral deficits that result from exposure of an unborn child to alcohol during pregnancy. While thousands of children are diagnosed with FASD annually, FASD is completely preventable if women refrain from consuming alcohol while pregnant. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of an evidence-based and culturally relevant FASD prevention program among adolescent and adult Hispanic females residing along the South Texas border with Mexico. All 239 youth and adult participants were concurrently receiving substance use intervention and/or treatment services from at least one of seven different programs operated by a single non-profit social services agency. The participants received the "Project CHOICES" intervention, which helps prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies by focusing on reducing drinking and using contraception. The findings of this investigation indicated that women who successfully completed the FASD Prevention Program demonstrated increased effectiveness of birth control use and decreased use and abuse of alcohol. The empirical success of Project CHOICES and the FASD Prevention Program examined in this study serve as support for the goal of incorporating FASD information and contraceptive education into school-based recovery programs and community-based substance abuse intervention and treatment programs for adolescent and adult females. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Prevention, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Cultural Relevance, Hispanic Americans, Females, Adults, Adolescents, Intervention, Alcohol Abuse, Health Behavior, At Risk Persons, Program Effectiveness, Pregnancy, Community Programs, School Health Services, Comprehensive School Health Education, Screening Tests, Surveys, Multivariate Analysis, Statistical Analysis
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Northrop Grumman Corporation
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A