Hawaii Health Matters :: Indicators :: Women who Binge Drink Prior to Pregnancy

Red is bad, green is good, blue is not statistically different/neutral.

Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

This indicator shows the percentage of women who reported binge drinking during the three months prior to pregnancy. Binge drinking is defined as having four or more drinks on one occasion. Please note: this definition changed from five to four drinks in 2009. These results cannot be compared with measures from 2008 and earlier.

Why is this important?

Alcohol is the leading cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). The effects of FASDs include mental retardation; learning, emotional and behavioral problems; and heart defects. Each year in the United States it is estimated that up to 40,000 babies are born with FASDs. In addition, 1 in 12 women report alcohol use during pregnancy. Alcohol-related birth defects are 100% preventable if women do not drink alcohol during pregnancy. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy also increases the risk for miscarriage and premature birth. It is advised that women planning a pregnancy completely abstain from alcohol.

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