McCarthy, Robyn, Mukherjee, Raja AS, Fleming, Kate M 
ORCID: 0000-0002-6572-5016, Green, Jonathan, Clayton-Smith, Jill, Price, Alan D, Allely, Clare S and Cook, Penny A
(2021)
Prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Greater Manchester, UK: An active case ascertainment study.
ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH, 45 (11).
pp. 2271-2281.
Abstract
<h4>Background</h4>Despite high levels of prenatal alcohol exposure in the UK, evidence on the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is lacking. This paper reports on FASD prevalence in a small sample of children in primary school.<h4>Methods</h4>A 2-phase active case ascertainment study was conducted in 3 mainstream primary schools in Greater Manchester, UK. Schools were located in areas that ranged from relatively deprived to relatively affluent. Initial screening of children aged 8-9 years used prespecified criteria for elevated FASD risk (small for age; special educational needs; currently/previously in care; significant social/emotional/mental health symptoms). Screen-positive children were invited for detailed ascertainment of FASD using gold standard measures that included medical history, facial dysmorphology, neurological impairment, executive function, and behavioral difficulties.<h4>Results</h4>Of 220 eligible children, 50 (23%) screened positive and 12% (26/220) proceeded to Phase 2 assessment. Twenty had a developmental disorder, of whom 4 had FASD and 4 were assessed as possible FASD. The crude prevalence rate of FASD in these schools was 1.8% (95% CI: 1.0%, 3.4%) and when including possible cases was 3.6% (2.1%, 6.3%). None of these children had previously been identified with a developmental diagnosis.<h4>Conclusions</h4>FASD was found to be common in these schools and most of these children's needs had not previously been identified. A larger, more definitive study that uses a random sampling technique stratified by deprivation level to select schools is needed to make inferences regarding the population prevalence of FASD.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, neurodevelopmental disorder |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Dec 2021 09:47 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Jan 2023 21:19 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/acer.14705 |
| Open Access URL: | https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.14705 |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3145555 |
Dimensions
Dimensions
