Where, when and what type of alcohol do pregnant women drink?

Background: Drinking alcohol in pregnancy is of a serious public health concern worldwide. Previous study in the Bosomtwe district put the prevalence of women drinking alcohol in pregnancy as 20.4%.Objectives: To describe the alcohol drinking behaviour of pregnant women in the Bosomtwe district of Ghana.Design: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional, conducted among 397 pregnant women who attended ANC in 2010.Method: The study was conducted in all the 10 health facilities providing reproductive health care in the Bosomtwe district using administered questionnaires.Results: The main findings of the study were that 20.4% of pregnant women drank alcoholic beverage of which the most preferred drink was Akpeteshie (36.4%), a locally brewed or distilled alcoholic beverage followed by the liqueurs (Ginseng, Kasapreko or-Pusher - 27.3%. Study participants drank an average of ‘half-tot’ (15 mls) of akpeteshie and ‘one-tot’- 30mls of liqueurs per a drinking session respectively. Theyusually drank at home and before meals. The 25-29 year group  26(32.1%), married 50(61.7%) and Junior High School educated 37(45.7%) as well as christians 69(85.0%) and traders 28(34.6%) drank most.Conclusions: The findings identified akpeteshie as the most preferred alcoholic beverage among pregnant women in the district. It is  recommended that the health authority creates awareness of the existence of the problem of alcohol drinking in pregnancy and its potential effects on the foetus.Key Words: Reproductive years, Alcohol consumption, Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, Ghana, Women, Akpeteshi