“Population-based prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Canada” is an article that was published in 2019 to evaluate the incidence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). In essence, FASD is an umbrella term for the group of conditions that emerge in individuals whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy. Not only does the disorder affect the physiological functions of the children, but it is also detrimental to their mental health. All in all, the goal of the article was to articulate the severity of FASD in Canada.
Canada is a country that records a high prevalence of FASD in the general population. According to the article, 50% to 91% of the general population is susceptible to the comorbid symptoms of foetal alcohol syndrome (Popova et al., 2019). In addition, statistics reveal that approximately 10% of Canadian women have a tendency to drink alcohol during pregnancy (Popova et al., 2019). For that reason, these women leave their children vulnerable to at least 400 disease conditions associated with behavioural, cognitive, and emotional deficits. Therefore, it is clear that FASD is a serious nationwide challenge for Canadian residents.
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The study investigates the pervasiveness of FASD in Ontario, Canada. As such, the research was undertaken on 2555 elementary school students who were aged between 7 years and 9 years (Popova et al., 2019). In this case, the investigation was accomplished in two key phases: Phase 1 consists of the pre-screening stage, whereas Phase II entails the final screening process. After the investigation, the research team found 21 cases of FASD in the subjects, which equates to a prevalence of 2% to 3% in young students (Popova et al., 2019). In summary, the investigation succeeded in achieving its objective.
The findings of this research are vital for mitigating the severity of FASD in young children. Given that FASD is a major root-cause for birth defects as well as developmental delay in children, it is crucial for Canadian authorities to determine the proportion of children that is vulnerable to FASD. On top of that, this research makes it possible for different Canadian health organizations to detect, diagnose, and implement intervention strategies for FASD. Therefore, this research contributes heavily to the body of knowledge regarding FASD.
The greatest strength of this article is that it comprehensively describes the intricate processes involved during the investigation. As a result, the findings of the study accurately reflect Ontario’s prevalence levels. However, the key weakness of this study is that the findings are not relevant to the entire Canadian population. Problems such as low participation and research bias prevented the researchers from making accurate conclusions. To sum up, the study faced serious challenges when correlating Ontario’s prevalence findings to Canada’s prevalence estimations.
In my opinion, this article should be recommended to others since it uses appropriate scientific approaches to derive accurate inferences regarding FASD. As such, it is quite easy to understand the demographic, physiological, and behavioural characteristics of the participants. However, the quantitative methods utilized to analyse the data were quite complicated. For instance, the use of Monte-Carlo simulations increased the complexity of data analysis. Overall, this article is suitable for reading for health professionals who are interested in prenatal and postnatal care.
Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder is an ailment that has negatively affected the wellbeing of numerous children in Canada. Not only does the illness hamper childbirth, it is also detrimental to future child development. In current times, the biggest challenge facing the control of FASD is the inadequacy of research and population estimates. With that said, the study achieved its chief objective, which was to reveal the severity of FASD. In the end, the conclusions of this study are essential for mitigating the severity of serious natal conditions .
References
Popova, S., Lange, S., Poznyak, V., Chudley, A. E., Shield, K. D., Reynolds, J. N., ... &
Rehm, J. (2019). Population-based prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Canada. BMC public health , 19 (1), 845-857. https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7213-3
