A Web-Based Intervention to Reduce Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies in the Community

Abstract

Despite warnings that drinking during pregnancy is unsafe, many women are still at risk for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP). This article describes the outcomes of a web-based, self-guided change intervention designed to lower the risk for AEPs in a community. A sample of 458 women, between the ages of 18 and 44 years and at risk for an AEP (i.e., any drinking in the past 30 days and not using reliable contraception), participated in the study. A total of 58% of the women enrolled in the self-guided change intervention were no longer at risk for an AEP at the 4-month follow-up. Sublevel analysis revealed that mail and online versions of the intervention were equally successful at reducing risk for an AEP. This study represents a successful implementation of a web-based, self-guided change intervention to reduce risk for an AEP, an intervention with community-wide reach due to the Internet platform.