Honors Program
Midway Honors
Date of Award
12-2011
Thesis Professor(s)
Amy Swango-Wilson
Thesis Professor Department
Nursing
Thesis Reader(s)
Kimberly Sell, Robert Pack
Abstract
While Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder is a recognized problem with alcohol ingestion during the formation of facial features, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are not as widely recognized. These disorders result from exposure to alcohol throughout pregnancy when the brain and nervous system are developing. The resulting disorders include attention deficit disorders, social disorders, inappropriate behaviors, learning disorders, and intellectual disability. The incidence of children with alcohol-related disorders is increasing as evidenced by children needing special services in the educational systems. It is unknown how much alcohol ingestion is safe during pregnancy or how genetic factors are involved in the development of these disorders. Women often get conflicting information from the media and other resources about safe levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Abstinence of alcohol ingestion is the only known prevention of such intellectual disorders. It is hypothesized that women of childbearing age may not be knowledgeable of the relationship between drinking and the implications of alcohol exposure on fetal development.
The purpose of this research is to determine what women of childbearing age know about alcohol consumption during pregnancy and if there is a knowledge deficit that exists among women of a certain age or women that use specific resources for health information. The researcher surveyed 40 female students at East Tennessee State University by using true or false questions concerning alcohol consumption related to fetal development in order to determine if a knowledge deficit exists. Based on the findings, it may be determined if women of childbearing age need educational materials from a reliable source.
Document Type
Honors Thesis - Open Access
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Bales, Mary, "Knowledge of the Effects of Alcohol on Fetal Development Among Women of Childbearing Age." (2011). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 22. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/22
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.