The Changes in the Level of Knowledge about the Effects of Alcohol Use during Pregnancy among Three Last Generations of Women in Poland

Abstract

Since 1973, when the term Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) was introduced, a major impact has been put on raising awareness about the negative effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. This study aimed to compare the level of knowledge about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy among three last generations of women in Poland, in order to assess the effectiveness of prenatal education regarding FAS. An online questionnaire was conducted among women of reproductive age, between February and March 2022. The level of knowledge was determined based on the average number of correct answers to 9 questions. Data were analyzed using Cochran–Armitage, ANOVA Kruskal–Wallis, Cochran–Mentel–Haenszel and Pearson’s chi-squared tests. Out of 471 women participating in the study, 34.8% belonged to Generation Z (15–25 years), 55.6% to Generation Y (26–41 years), and 9.6% to Generation X (42–49 years). The average score of correct answers was the highest for Generation Y women (7.55 points) and the lowest for Generation X (6.96 points). Women from Generation Z scored 7.27 points on average. The ANOVA Kruskal–Wallis test was performed with p = 0.07. The level of women’s knowledge about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy suggests that education regarding FAS in Poland is less effective in recent years.