The Impact of the Alcohol Warning Label on Drinking during Pregnancy

Abstract

Has drinking by pregnant women decreased since the implementation of the alcoholic beverage warning label? The authors examined the reported drinking of 4397 pregnant black women who sought prenatal care in an inner city clinic of Detroit, MI. They found that the warning label had a differential effect on risk drinkers (women consuming at least .5 ounce of absolute alcohol per day at conception) and lighter drinkers/abstainers (women consuming less than .5 ounce of absolute alcohol per day at conception). Six months after the warning label law was implemented (June 1, 1990), lighter drinkers decreased their drinking during pregnancy by a small but statistically significant amount. In contrast, pregnant risk drinkers did not significantly change their alcohol consumption.