Purpose: to check alcohol consumption during pregnancy regarding type of drink, amount ingested, awareness of alcohol consumption risk, and tracking its consumption during prenatal care. Methods: interview of 445 women who had just given birth in a maternity hospital from January to May, 1999. The data analysis was performed using Student's t test and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test. Results: of the women interviewed, 66.3% did not consume alcohol, 17.8% consumed it throughout pregnancy and 15.9% consumed it until pregnancy was confirmed, which occurred when they were 9.6 weeks pregnant on average; 98.7% of the women consumed it on weekends or at parties, and 1.3% daily. The mean ingestion was 14.74 grams/occasion for those who consumed alcohol throughout pregnancy and 25.83% grams/occasion for those who consumed it until pregnancy was confirmed. There were statistical differences between the mean rates in both groups. The mean intake per occasion was classified as moderate. The most ingested alcoholic beverage was beer (64.0%). Regarding awareness of the risk of alcohol intake, 71.5% believe that it is not good for the fetus health, 15.5% believe that it is not good for their own health. Alcohol consumption tracking was referred to by 48.8% of the women. Conclusion: a great number of women consumed alcoholic drinks at some time during pregnancy, despite being aware of the risks to their fetus. Prenatal care is not used as a favorable occasion for alcohol consumption tracking as well as for discontinuing its intake.
Pregnancy; Prenatal care; Alcohol consumption; Fetal malformations
