In April 2024, the 9th International Research Conference on Adolescent and adults with Fetal Alcoholic Spectrum Disorder (FASD) was held in Seattle, Washington, USA. This conference is important for many reasons, and one of them being the stealth nature of FASD as exemplified by the stealth bomber of the US military, and the other being that such an important conference was held, and the world did not take notice of it.
In 1997, the military of the United States of America introduced the Northrop B-2 Spirit otherwise known as the Stealth Bomber as one of their strategic bomber which feature low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defences. No doubt, the war machine is the pride of the US military arsenal. Just like the stealth bomber, this article intends to unveil another stealth bomber that cannot be introduced to warfare, but it seem to have a more fatal effect to the public. The irony is that its fire power is introduced during the time of peace, perhaps, merriment. This bomber is the FASD, and it caught my whole attention during my doctoral study in 2021 in the University of KwaZulu-Natal. I had argued then and noted that the disorder has a huge burden on public health systems in South Africa, with its attendant consequences on public finance, family life and reduced availability of manpower to drive national economy and development. It however appears that the world still has not found a way of curbing this phenomenon. One begins to wonder if FASD has such a stealth bombing disposition that it can go unnoticed by the global health system just like the military bomber evades the anti-aircraft defence system.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) had stated according to my doctoral research that one in 10 women consume alcohol during pregnancy globally, and 20% of these women binge, which means they drink a lot of alcoholic drinks at an event. Drinking while pregnant harms the foetus with the consequence being FASD, and South Africa has the highest reported FASD prevalence rates in the world as high as 28% in some communities, with an estimated overall rate at 6%. Therefore, the Department of Health in South Africa has made it a public health concern. A study done in Nigeria had revealed that though Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is among the highest per capita rates of alcohol consumption in the world which should translate to high burden of FASD, there is limited data on alcohol exposed pregnancies for most SSA countries.
An article written in 2020 by The Conversation journal had raised an alarm that FASD is the leading developmental disability in Canada, and that more people have FASD than autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome combined. In the USA, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention Studies shows that 0.2 to 1.5 cases of FASD occur every 1,000 live births in certain areas of the United States, and scientist believe that about 2 to 5 percent of the US population may have FASD. However, current rates are conservatively estimated to be approximately four per cent in North America with notation that FASD is very challenging to diagnose, and many experts believe that its prevalence is actually much higher.
Studies globally show that the factors that motivate maternal drinking is more socio-cultural. Despite its preventable nature, there is concern among FASD researchers about a potential increase in FASD prevalence rates. There has been global efforts to address this phenomenon through various advocacies, using different medium, but the phenomenon still persists, and it has a toll on mental health. As a matter of fact, another study reveals that during the COVID-19 pandemic, even with its social distancing policy introduced by WHO, global data showed that online alcohol sales for beer, wine and spirits rose by 291% during the pandemic, although that figure does not account for any decrease in in-person alcohol sales. The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction revealed that as many as 20 per cent of Canadians have increased their alcohol use during COVID-19, and women report drinking, on average, more drinks per day than recommended in Canada’s Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines.
My study had localised the problem to pregnant women who drink in Durban, South Africa, and thus seeking the social cultural factors that influence them to drink alcohol. There is no doubt that social and environmental factors that influence the pregnant women in Durban are family, friends and accessible shebeens and taverns in the neighbourhood and these raise a drinking culture that encourage social tolerance and hesitation from stopping.
Reducing the number of alcohol-exposed pregnancies is an important step forward in helping to reduce the prevalence of FASD. A greater public awareness and understanding brings FASD into the spotlight. Though, 9th September 2024 has been designated as the FASD international day, it is important that the department of health, scholars and the media help educate South Africans to learn more about the FASD, alcohol and pregnancy. It is our responsibility. There is need for a communication approach that will address these nuances with messages that will resonate with the pregnant women. It should involve policymakers at the municipal and provincial levels; female community leaders, social and antenatal workers and health communication workers that will interact with the pregnant women to articulate social cultural nuances that influence alcohol consumption; and also a message that will resonate with them through their preferred communication channel. Awareness and understanding are key and FASD is not so much of a stealth bomber. Ignorance is.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Udoh James Akpan is a well published scholar and change management consultant. He is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Criminology and Foreign Studies, University of Kwazulu-Natal. He is also an external academic with the Management College of Southern Africa (MANCOSA) where he teaches Inclusive Stakeholder Management and Strategic & Corporate Communication. He holds a doctoral degree in Communication, Media and Cultural Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, KZN, South Africa. He also has a masters degree in communication studies with bias for Communication Management, and a post graduate diploma in Public Administration both from Lagos State University in Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. His research interest is in Communication Management which covers development studies, health communication, Strategic Communication, Trade and International Communication, Media (Mainstream and Digital), Humanities and Social Sciences issues like Criminology, Diaspora and Migration Studies, Gender Studies Media, Change Management & Human Resources Management. He is a member of International Association of Media & Communication Research (IAMCR), and associate member of Southern African Communications Communication Industries Association (SACIA), an associate member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (ANIPR), a licensed Human Resources practitioner (HRPL), members of the Chattered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), Nigerian Institute of Public Diplomacy and Management (MIPDM), Nigerian Institute Management (ANIM), Institute of Public Administrators of Nigeria (IPAN)
He also has a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate of Attendance; ISO 9001:2015 Requirements Understanding & Documentation Certificate with focus on Risk and Change Management; ISO 9001:2015 Auditor Certificate; Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria Health, Safety &Environment (HSE) Certificate; Professional Certificate in Human Resources Management from the Carrington Heritage Centre for Professional Development, UK. He currently anchors a Community Development programme, Akpan’s Diary on AgeTV Durban, hosted on Facebook and YouTube and has extensive industry and professional experience which cuts across various sectors.
