Assessment of alcohol consumption among pregnant women in antenatal clinic (ANC) at Jigmi Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH), Thimphu, Bhutan

Drinking alcohol by men, women and children is widely accepted and practiced in Bhutanese society. Homemade alcohol is used by post-natal mothers with a belief it increases flow of breast milk for baby and promote comfort and healing for mother. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in June 2011 with an objective to access alcohol consumption among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) in Thimphu, Bhutan. Structured questionnaires and alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT) questions were used for face to face interview with 312 pregnant women. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Lifetime alcohol consumption was 203 (65.1%), last one year drink 165 (52.9%), last three months 79 (25.3%) last one month 74 (23.7%) and last one week was 34 (10.9%). Out of nine types of alcohol listed for this study pregnant women mostly consumed homemade rice wine called “changkey” and distilled alcohol drink “ara”. Commercial products women mostly consume were beer and wine. The main reason for alcohol consumption was tradition, culture and customs and women had positive feelings towards alcohol especially homemade alcohol. They also drank to promote sleep and comfort. Although 92% of pregnant women heard about effects of alcohol on fetus, they still continued drinking during pregnancy. Therefore, all pregnant women should be screened for alcohol consumption and advised to abstain from drinking during entire pregnancy. In-depth studies with special focus on homemade alcohol are recommended in all the ANC clinics in the country for appropriate future interventions.

在不丹社会中，男性、女性与儿童饮酒的行为被广泛接受且普遍存在。产后妇女会饮用自制酒类，她们认为此举可促进乳汁分泌，助力自身舒适与康复。本研究为2011年6月开展的横断面描述性研究，旨在评估不丹廷布吉格梅·多吉·旺楚克国家转诊医院（Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital, JDWNRH）产前门诊就诊孕妇的饮酒情况。研究采用结构化问卷与酒精使用障碍识别测试（Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test, AUDIT），对312名孕妇开展面对面访谈。数据采用SPSS进行分析。结果显示，终身饮酒率为203例（65.1%），过去1年饮酒者165例（52.9%），过去3个月饮酒者79例（25.3%），过去1个月饮酒者74例（23.7%），过去1周饮酒者34例（10.9%）。在本次研究列出的9类酒类中，孕妇最常饮用的是自制米酒"changkey"与蒸馏酒"ara"；商业酒类则以啤酒和葡萄酒为主。孕妇饮酒的主要原因为传统、文化与习俗，且对酒类尤其是自制酒类持有正向态度，她们也会通过饮酒助眠与舒缓不适。尽管92%的孕妇知晓酒精对胎儿的不良影响，但仍有部分孕妇在孕期继续饮酒。因此，应对所有孕妇开展饮酒情况筛查，并建议其在整个孕期戒酒。建议在全国所有产前保健（Antenatal Care, ANC）门诊开展针对自制酒类的深入研究，以便制定适宜的未来干预方案。