Browsing by Author "Mwansa, Judith RM"

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    An evaluation of the effectiveness of a service provider short course to prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
    (2009) Mwansa, Judith RM; London, Leslie
    Background: The Western Cape Province of South Africa has the highest reported rates of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in the world. Reported statistics on FAS in this province show that 40.5 to 46.4 per 1000 children aged 5 to 9 years have FAS compared to developed nations that reported 0.5 to 2 cases per 1000 births. The loss in human potential is immeasurable and various studies have shown that the financial cost is formidable. Each child affected by FAS may require an estimated $1 million to $2 million over the course of their lifetime to support remedial medical, educational and social costs. Primary prevention programmes targeted to women at risk of alcohol-exposed pregnancies could lead to measurable reductions in the incidence of FAS. An alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP) is a pregnancy that results when a sexually active woman is not on effective contraception and is involved in risky drinking. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of a training intervention to improve screening, identification and management of women at risk of alcohol exposed pregnancies.