Transcript
Hello, everyone. My name is Taylor Watkins, and today I will be speaking to you about my research titled: “Supporting Healthy Pregnancies: Informing Effective and Non-Stigmatising FASD Prevention Approaches in Northeastern Ontario”. Alcohol use during pregnancy is a leading preventable cause of developmental disability in Canada. As 10% to 15% of Canadians report consuming alcohol during pregnancy. However, reported rates are significantly lower in the Sudbury and Manitoba districts in comparison to the Canadian national average.
Prevention campaigns have been criticised for their stigmatising nature, as negative emotions have been relied on to discourage individuals from consuming alcohol during pregnancy. Therefore, stigma remains a prevalent barrier to disclosing alcohol use and accessing supports for FASD. The current study aims to understand participants’ attitudes about alcohol use during pregnancy, explore the perspectives regarding the effectiveness of the FASD prevention campaigns. And lastly, generate recommendations for creating effective and non-stigmatising FASD prevention approaches.
Twelve pregnant individuals and new mothers across the Sudbury and Manitoba regions in Eastern Ontario participated in small group and individual semi-structured interviews. Ten images of existing FASD prevention campaigns were used to guide individual and small group discussions. Lastly, the data obtained was analysed using a qualitative content analysis. Results are revealed of the effectiveness of FASD prevention campaigns was associated with the strength and clarity of the messaging, if the campaign had an emotional impact, and the relatability of the imagery used.
For instance, prevention campaigns with clear or strong messaging were perceived to be more effective than campaigns with unclear or weak messaging. For example, Emily stated: “The message is not clear to me. I don’t feel like it’s a very strong message”. Additional campaigns that have evoked a strong emotional response were perceived to be more effective than campaigns that did not have an emotive impact. Lastly, findings revealed that the more relatable the campaign imagery was, the more effective the campaign was perceived to be. For instance, Lauren stated: “I really like the photo of the girls holding her belly. That’s how I looked when I was pregnant.”
In summary, stigmatising prevention campaigns were perceived to be more effective at preventing alcohol use during pregnancy. This conflicts with best practices for FASD prevention as such approaches can reinforce stigma about FASD and alcohol use during pregnancy. Therefore, further explorations are necessary to understand what factors make stigmatising messages and images. more successful, in order to create FASD prevention efforts that are both effective and non-stigmatising. And thank you for listening.