Saturday, July 06, 2002

An extensive study is underway to determine the effects of prenatal alcohol use on children, the Associated Press reported June 18.

The research project is part of a four-state study mandated by Congress to examine high-risk children and determine how their mothers' drinking during pregnancy may have affected the children.

The study will include at-home visits with at-risk women, and will seek to identify children with lower-level problems associated with prenatal alcohol consumption, as well as cases of full-blown fetal alcohol syndrome.

The four states involved in the $7 million, three-year study are Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

The study is being conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.