tool name
closeStudents urge peers to think before they drink if pregnant
By Adeena Harbst
- For Blue MagazineLifelike baby dolls bring smiles to the faces of Penn State students, drawing them to tables around campus that are promoting the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder campaign, which began its first stages last year.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health provided a $92,000 grant to begin the campaign, aimed at educating students about the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant. The campaign was created in a collaborative effort by faculty and students in the College of Communications who plan to take the campaign to all Penn State campuses.
“We think that if you’re a woman, you should know about FASD and how to prevent it because, unlike other childhood diseases and conditions, FASD is 100 percent preventable,” said Renea Nash, coordinator of the campaign’s “street team” at University Park.
FASD is an umbrella term used to describe a range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy, according to the health department Web site. Effects may include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications.
“The goal here is to inform women of childbearing age that the risk is real but they have all the power to prevent it,” Nash said. “This is not an anti-drinking campaign, we’re asking them to abstain from drinking alcohol when they become pregnant.”
FASD is the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects. In the U.S., it is estimated that 1 in 100 children born each year have a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
“Anything a woman drinks during pregnancy, her baby drinks, but many believe that one or two drinks can’t hurt,” Nash said.
The street team consists of five students who hit the streets with the message that “One drink can last a lifetime.” They use promotional items such as mirrors, T-shirts, magnets and backpacks to help publicize the information.
“It’s great to know that you’re bringing clarity to people on a subject that, surprisingly, a lot are being misinformed on,” team member Bjorn Trowery said. “We’re not pushing a product or lifestyle; we’re equipping people with the facts because they have the right to know.”
The goal of the street team is to direct students and others to the campaign’s Web site, pledgeno fasd.psu.edu, where students can get more information on FASD and sign a pledge to prevent it. Tables where pledges can be signed are also set up at the HUB-Robeson Center and at Late Night events.
Any students, faculty and staff who sign a pledge are entered in a prize drawing.
“We’ve had couples come up and sign the pledge together and talk about how they’ll both support one another when that time comes,” Trowery said. “These are 20-yearolds taking that big of a pledge. It’s just great to see.”
The team will also be at a health fair, the Movin’ On concert and other campus events.
Nash said they stood outside the recent performance of “The Vagina Monologues” on campus and distributed information as students went in.
When the weather warms, they plan to visit other commonwealth campuses and more outdoor locations at University Park.
“Since college is a time when drinking, partying and sexual activity are all common, I think it’s an excellent time to educate young people on some of the consequences that can arise from each of these activities,” street team member Jackie Burtnett said.
More information about the campaign and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can be found at the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Web site, www.dsf.health.state.pa.us.
In Print
news.mcclatchy.com headlines
