An online campaign targeting pregnant women and their partners aims to send a strong message to pregnant women that
alcohol and pregnancy don’t mix.
The series of video clips – distributed on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram – seek to provide clear advice to pregnant
women and their partners, regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
“There is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy,” says Matt Claridge, spokesman for Cheers, the
organisation behind the campaign.
“Drinking alcohol, even in small doses, increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or of a baby being born with Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, the term used to describe the range of conditions that can occur from alcohol exposure during
pregnancy, including physical, mental, behavioural or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications.
“When we originally ran this campaign in May, we heard from parents living with children with FASD who responded
positively to the proactive nature of the campaign, rather than the ‘ambulance at the bottom of the cliff’ approach.
We’ve revised these clips further to ensure the message is even more clear cut – pregnancy and alcohol don’t mix.”
In New Zealand, it is estimated between 600 and 3000 babies are born with FASD every year.
While recent studies have shown most people (84% of respondents surveyed in the Health Promotion Agency’s Attitudes to
Drinking in Pregnancy 2016*) know that drinking small amounts of alcohol is not OK, there is still conflicting advice
given to women – and males tend to be more relaxed around their attitudes to women abstaining from alcohol during
pregnancy.
“Research from government’s Social Policy and Evaluation Unit shows almost 10% of women start drinking again later in
pregnancy – but the fact is that alcohol is just as damaging to your baby’s developing brain then as it is early in the
pregnancy,” says Mr Claridge.
The campaign will run for six weeks online. To find out more, go to saferpregnancy.nz.
Cheers is a responsible drinking campaign run by The Tomorrow Project, an industry-funded organisation committed to
helping to create a safe and responsible drinking culture in New Zealand through evidence-based, targeted interventions
that address the reasons behind problem drinking.