Zero for nine: reducing alcohol use during pregnancy via health counselling and Internet-based computer-tailored feedback

In the Netherlands, approximately 600 babies are born with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) each year. To put this number into perspective: approximately 300 babies are born with Down syndrome each year. Children with FAS were exposed to alcohol in the womb and experience lifelong consequences as a result. Problems may include abnormal facial features, small stature and brain damage, which puts them at a permanent social disadvantage. In the past five years, an estimated one-third of pregnant women in the Netherlands drank alcohol. This study reveals the e-health education programme (www.NegenMaandenNiet.nl) is an effective way to reduce alcohol consumption during pregnancy.