Camille Moreau, edited by Yanis Darras // Photo credit: Christin Klose / dpa-tmn / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP
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11:15 a.m., September 05, 2023
No alcohol during pregnancy. While the French are increasingly mastering this preventive action, half of them do not really know the risks of a single glass of alcohol on the fetus. This is underlined by a new study by Public Health France, which is published on Tuesday.
No tobacco and no alcohol: during pregnancy, it is strongly recommended to preserve the health of babies to avoid the consumption of these substances. To find out if the French are aware of this recommendation, Public Health France publishes this Tuesday a report on the knowledge of the French on the risks of taking alcohol during pregnancy.
Between 2004 and 2020, five surveys on a sample of 1,000 people were carried out, with a great improvement in the actions to be applied. Thus, nearly 90% of French people were aware of this regulation in 2020, ie 10 points more than in 2004. But are the French really aware of the risk that this poses to the fetus? While a single drink is enough to cause irreparable damage, nearly half of French people are unaware of the risks, assures Public Health France.
Developmental delays in the baby’s brain growth
“Science does not know whether there are quantities, consumption frequencies or a time of pregnancy that would not involve any risk. On the other hand, what we know very well is that consuming alcohol, it can have serious consequences on the development of the fetus”, explains Guillemette Quatremère, in charge of addiction studies at Public Health France, at the microphone of Europe 1.
“Concretely, that means that we will see faces with ears for example that stand out more, a wider forehead. We can also have a delay in the growth of the brain in particular. And then, there will also be behavioral difficulties , difficulties in the learning phase. So it’s a set of disorders that will ultimately have significant consequences on the life of the child and that’s why the message really to remember is zero alcohol during the pregnancy”, concludes the addiction study officer at Public Health France.