A qualitative study, exploring UK alcohol guidelines around drinking during pregnancy

Ledermann, Davina

Abstract

Background: Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been associated with a range of adverse foetal effects known as Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Consequently, there is no known “safe” level of alcohol during pregnancy and this has led to several changes in relation to the guidelines in the UK. The most recent guidelines for alcohol consumption during pregnancy, published (8 January 2016) by the UK Chief Medical Officer (Department for Health, 2016) recommend complete abstinence whilst trying to conceive and throughout pregnancy. This study aims to explore what women in the UK, whom at the time of the interview, had given birth within the last 12 months: 1) understand about the alcohol guidelines; 2) their attitudes towards them; 3) their behaviour in response to their understanding and attitudes towards the alcohol guidelines. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with twelve female participants who had given birth within 12 months of the interview taking place. The interviews were conducted face-to-face, over the telephone or over Skype. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results and Discussion: Three themes were identified: Making sense of it all; The conflict within; and Social norms and expectations. Overall, women in this study did not feel that the guidelines related to them or their pregnancy, suggesting conversations need to be more personalised. It is recommended health professionals identity factors which may influence their patients and tailor the message to be personally relevant. This in turn may better assist with the decision-making process and amount of ‘personal sacrifice’ that may be experienced if women abstain completely. To assist in personally tailoring the message and improving uptake, healthcare professionals could be trained to understand social norms with the intention to target at risk groups.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Mar 1, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 27, 2021
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/5587009
• Award Date: Jan 27, 2021