DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2008.02058.x Epidemiology www.blackwellpublishing.com/bjog The effect of maternal alcohol consumption on fetal growth and preterm birth CM O’Leary,a N Nassar,a JJ Kurinczuk,b C Bowera a Division of Population Sciences, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia b National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, UK Correspondence: Ms CM O’Leary, Division of Population Sciences, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, PO Box 855, West Perth, WA 6872, Australia. Email
[email protected] Accepted 26 October 2008. Objective To investigate the relationship between prenatal alcohol association between alcohol intake and SGA infants was exposure and fetal growth and preterm birth and to estimate the attenuated after adjustment for maternal smoking. Low levels of effect of dose and timing of alcohol exposure in pregnancy. prenatal alcohol were not associated with preterm birth; however, binge drinking resulted in a nonsignificant increase in odds. Design A population-based cohort study linked to birth Preterm birth was associated with moderate and higher levels of information on the Western Australian Midwives Notification prenatal alcohol consumption for the group of women who System. ceased drinking before the second trimester. This group of Setting Western Australia. women was significantly more likely to deliver a preterm infant than women who abstained from alcohol (adjusted OR 1.73 [95% Population A 10% random sample of births restricted to CI 1.01–3.14]).