A screening and brief intervention for women in OB/GYN care

Background Alcohol consumption levels in Russia are among the highest in the world [1]. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in children are completely preventable by avoiding alcohol use during pregnancy [2]; yet, substantial numbers of women around the world consume alcohol during pregnancy mostly prior to pregnancy recognition [3-5]. A U.S. prevention model, Project CHOICES, utilized a pre-conceptional approach consisting of four counseling sessions and a family planning clinic visit [6]. A brief intervention protocol [7] and the CHOICES were adapted by the research team to design a brief intervention for implementation in public OB/GYN clinics in two regions in Russia. The objective of this study was to evaluate impact of the adapted protocol in reducing the risk for alcohol-exposed pregnancies (AEP) and alcohol consumption in general.