The Nordic Welfare Centre launched its first project on alcohol and other substances in relation to pregnancy in 2019. The report
Identifying use of alcohol and other substances during pregnancy – A Nordic overview was published in 2020 and focused on identifying the use of alcohol, tobacco and other substances among pregnant women across the Nordic countries. In dealing with the consequences of alcohol use during pregnancy, the report was chiefly concerned with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
The summing up and conclusions of the report show that the Nordic health authorities recommend abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy. There is also a need for prevalence studies on FASD to establish the actual size of the problem, which is unknown for several reasons. One of them pertains to the nature of FASD as an undiagnosed disorder. Without knowing the extent of the problem, it is difficult to get the necessary political attention and the right support for the affected population group to ensure better interventions targeted at alcohol use during pregnancy. Prenatal alcohol exposure in the Nordic countries is something of a blind spot that calls for more attention.
As the conclusions of the report raised more questions to study – especially regarding the affected population group – the Nordic Council of Ministers granted funding for a second project. This report is the outcome of that project. The primary focus of this report is the post-pregnancy period and the support and follow-up for children born with prenatal alcohol exposure, and their families.
The Nordic expert group that was appointed as a part of the first project have also had an important role in the making of this report. We would like to thank the members of this group for participating in and contributing to an initial discussion of the report’s contents and focus. Special thanks are due to the two experts based at the Norwegian Regional Competence Center for children with prenatal alcohol/drug exposure (Sørlandet Hospital Arendal): Gro Løhaugen, neuropsychologist and head of the centre, and Professor Jon Skranes, child neurologist and senior consultant at the centre, for their final review of the report.
We would also like to thank Niina-Maria Nissinen, doctoral student at Tampere University and Folkhälsan Research Center Helsinki, for once again contributing with her expertise and for also co-authoring this report.