Available prevention and management interventions for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (2007 to 2017)

Abstract

Abstract Background The global prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) remains high despite the various preventive and management interventions that have been designed and implemented to tackle the issue in various settings. The scoping review aims to identify and classify prevention and management interventions of FASD reported globally across the life span and to map the concentration of these interventions across the globe. Methods We conducted a scoping review searching databases such as Ebsco Host (Academic Search Complete, ERIC, SoINDEX, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition, CINAHL, Medline and Psych-ARTICLES), SAGE Journals, Sabinet and PubMed. Two reviewers independently screened studies for eligibility and used the Effective Public Health Project assessment tool to assess the methodological rigour of the included studies. A framework approach to data analysis was done and a narrative approach was used to synthesise and report on the findings. Results Thirty-two prevention intervention studies and 41 management intervention studies were identified. All the interventions were reported to be effective or showed promising outcomes for the prevention and management of FASD, except four. Although Europe and Africa have a relatively higher prevalence of FASD, the lowest number of interventions to address FASD were identified in these regions. Most of the interventions for FASD were reported in North America with comparatively lower FASD prevalence. Conclusions The uneven distribution of interventions designed for FASD vis-à-vis the burden of FASD in the different regions calls for a concerted effort for knowledge and intervention sharing to enhance the design of contextually sensitive preventive and management policy in the different regions. Key messages There are effective interventions for the prevention and management of FASD, however, the interventions were not distributed according to the burden of FASD in different regions. There is a great need to share and implement context/culturally appropriate interventions for the prevention and management of FASD among regions.