North American perspectives on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Alcohol is legal, widely available, heavily advertised and popular among women in the United States (US) and Canada. World Health Organization (WHO 2004) data indicate that approximately 62 per cent of adult women in the US drink alcohol and 15.1 per cent report binge drinking ( ve or more drinks) at least once in the past 30 days. Among Canadian women, 73.9 per cent drink alcohol and 11.2 per cent report binge drinking 12 or more times in the past year (WHO 2004).