The consumption of alcohol is widespread within Australia and entwined with many social and cultural activities. Alcohol consumption in pregnancy can lead to poorer perinatal outcomes including low birthweight, being small for gestational age, pre-term birth and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) (NHMRC 2020).
FASD refers to a range of adverse physical, learning and behavioural effects after exposure to alcohol during pregnancy, with issues occurring into childhood and adult life (NHMRC 2020).
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) advises that women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not drink alcohol (NHMRC 2020). Support to address alcohol consumption is widely available through antenatal clinics.
Data on maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy were available for the first time in 2019. Data exclude New South Wales and South Australia.