RT Journal Article
T1 Alcohol Consumption Assessed by a Biomarker and Self-Reported Drinking in a Sample of Pregnant Women in the South of Europe: A Comparative Study
A1 Corrales Gutiérrez, Isabel
A1 Gómez Baya, Diego
A1 León Larios, Fátima
A1 Medero Canela, Rocío
A1 Marchei, Emilia
A1 Mendoza Berjano, Ramón
A1 García Algar, Óscar
AB (1) Background: Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a major concern, particularly in Europe and North America. Its prevalence has so far been under-researched. In most studies, the determination of this consumption may be underestimated, as it is based on the information obtained from questionnaires rather than from biomarkers, which will provide a much more reliable approach. The main objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of consumption during pregnancy as assessed by a questionnaire and a hair biomarker. (2) Method: A cross-sectional study with a random sample of 425 pregnant women treated in public hospital consultations in Seville (Spain) and in the 20th week of their pregnancy, orally interviewed using an elaborated ad hoc questionnaire that evaluated variables of sociodemographic, obstetric, and alcohol consumption. Furthermore, the ethyl glucuronide metabolite (EtG) was tested on a hair sample in 252 pregnant women who agreed to facilitate it. Once the data obtained through the questionnaire and hair test were analyzed, the level of metabolites and self-reported alcohol consumption were compared. (3) Results: The prevalence of self-reported alcohol consumption (questionnaire) was 20.7%, and the real consumption (metabolite analysis) was 20.2%. In 16.8% of pregnant women who declared not consuming alcohol during their pregnancy, noticeable consumption was detected according to the metabolite test. No relevant level of variability in estimated alcohol consumption was detected in the biomarker with respect to the sociodemographic and obstetric variables studied. (4) Conclusions: The prevalence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy obtained through both questionnaires and metabolite analyses was similar and high. There is no association between consumption and sociodemographic factors in this sample. The determination of consumption through biomarkers allows for a more accurate approximation of the prevalence of consumption than estimated through questionnaires. Larger sample-sized studies are needed to determine consumption patterns and thus guide the adoption of more precise policies fostering abstinence from alcohol consumption since the preconception period.
PB MDPI
SN 2305-6304 (electrónico)
YR 2023
FD 2023-11-16
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/23270
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/23270
LA eng
NO Corrales-Gutierrez, I., Gomez-Baya, D., Leon-Larios, F., Medero-Canela, R., Marchei, E., Mendoza-Berjano, R., & García-Algar, Ó. (2023). Alcohol Consumption Assessed by a Biomarker and Self-Reported Drinking in a Sample of Pregnant Women in the South of Europe: A Comparative Study. In Toxics (Vol. 11, Issue 11, p. 930). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11110930
NO This research was partially funded by the University of Seville with funding received from a research award called: Premio a la mejor idea de investigación año 2022.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026