A cohort of 650 women who represented the entire spectrum of drinking practice during pregnancy was interviewed in the fourth and seventh months of pregnancy. These women and their offspring were assessed at delivery, at 8 and 18 months and 3 and 6 years. The next phase of this longitudinal study will assess growth, cognitive development, morphological anomalies, behavior motor skills, and neuropsychological performance of the children at age 9. We anticipate that additional effects of prenatal alcohol exposure will be detected at an older age as more complex demands are made on the children for mastery of increasingly difficult levels of cognitive tasks and motor skills. The second part of the proposal, will focus on the development of methods to prevent or reduce drinking during pregnancy. We will evaluate the effectiveness of matching prevention protocols to specific characteristics of the women, using profiles defined by sociodemographic and psychological factors and substance use patterns of the women.
