Tsang, Tracey W and Rosenblatt, Daniel H and Parta, Indra and Elliott, Elizabeth J (2025) Estimating the prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Australia. Drug and Alcohol Review, Early online, https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.14082.
External website: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.14...
INTRODUCTION: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and characterised by severe neurodevelopmental impairment. Australian studies have reported PAE prevalence of between 14% and 78% of births. Estimating national FASD prevalence in the general population using gold-standard active case ascertainment is costly and time-consuming, and alternative approaches are required.
METHODS: Using a published equation for the risk of FASD following PAE (estimated from an international meta-analysis) and a pooled estimate of PAE prevalence in Australia (from a meta-analysis of 78 studies reporting 16 large general population-based birth cohorts between 1975 and 2018), we estimated the population prevalence of FASD. Monte Carlo simulations were used to determine confidence intervals.
RESULTS: Estimated FASD prevalence in the general population was 3.64% (95% confidence interval 2.91%, 4.41%).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The estimated FASD prevalence in the general population of Australia was comparable to that in other high-income countries (e.g., USA, Canada). Although it is likely that certain vulnerable populations have significantly higher FASD prevalence, this estimate provides a baseline estimate for the general population to inform service development and strategies for prevention of FASD and guide future research.
B Substances > Alcohol
G Health and disease > Disease by cause (Aetiology) > Foetal, infant, newborn diseases (reproductive effects) > Foetal (fetal) alcohol syndrome / spectrum disorder
VA Geographic area > Australia and Oceania > Australia
Repository Staff Only: item control page