BALANCING « ZERO ALCOHOL » DURING PREGNANCY AND ’BINGE DRINKING’ IN THE FIRST WEEKS. A QUALITATIVE SURVEY ON INTERNET CHAT GROUPS
Stéphanie Toutain (stephanie.toutain@parisdescartes.fr)
Date of submission : 01.11.2017
Abstract
Introduction – The incidence of massive alcoholiation among young women leads to a reconfiguration of risks during pregnancy. Nine years after the legal apposition of a pictogram on alcohol bottles and several prévention campaigns, it was therefore important to review a possible evolution of knowledge and opinions of prégnant women.
Methods – A qualitative approach based on discussions with 40 pregnant women exchanging on seven Internet chat groups between February 2014 and July 2015.
Results – These women’s knowledge on alcohol consumption during pregnancy as a major risk improved significantly compared to similar surveys conducted in 2008 and 2010. Their major concern focuses on expériences of heavy drinking episodes while unaware of their pregnancy. We can observe a hand-over in recent years among these women, from mothers to gynecologists, as a confident information source. This trend should be related to the emergence of new consumption practices in young women.
Conclusion – In the absence of prevention campaigns on the possible consequences of binge drinking on the newborn at the beginning of pregnancy, women negotiate the risk based on their knowledge, beliefs, and perceived standards.
