Improving Recognition of Children Affected by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Detection of Exposure in Pediatric Care.

Early identification of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) is important for providing services and preventing secondary disabilities. Recent studies indicate that many FASDs are undiagnosed, partly because there is a need to improve detection of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). The aims of this review are to characterize existing practices for assessing PAE in pediatric care, identify the most efficient, promising methods of detecting PAE, and recognize the knowledge and practice gaps. This review indicates that maternal self-reports remain the most common method utilized in routine clinical practice and highlights promising methods of PAE identification, including a single binge drinking question. The review yields few studies describing existing strategies to assess PAE in pediatric practice and identifies knowledge gaps that need to be addressed for improving recognition of FASDs in pediatric practice.

International collaboration in HIV prevention research: evidence from a research seminar in Russia.

HIV transmission is a major health concern. Global efforts are necessary to control the spread of infection. International collaborative studies in countries with high rates of new infections are essential for increasing knowledge on the behavioral, social, and biomedical aspects of HIV/AIDS and HIV transmission. Statistics indicate a growing HIV epidemic in Russia. There are alarming proportions of new cases attributed to heterosexual contact, and HIV is increasingly affecting people in the general population who are not part of any traditional high-risk group. Despite recent advances in HIV prevention, data on effective behavioral prevention approaches are limited. There is minimal evidence to suggest which types of prevention will be effective in reducing the risk for HIV transmission among people at risk in the general population. This article presents a review and discussion of an international research seminar, HIV Prevention Research: Evidence-Based Behavioral Approaches. Local and international interdisciplinary researchers gathered for the purposes of exchanging research results and information about ongoing studies, identifying gaps in knowledge, and discussing promising prevention strategies. The overarching goal was to advance HIV prevention research through scientific integration. The seminar provided an excellent platform for building research capacity in interdisciplinary HIV research in Russia and integrating research efforts with the international research community to contribute to HIV prevention research throughout the world.

Use of focus groups in developing FAS/FASD prevention in Russia.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a severe outcome of alcohol use during pregnancy, and the rates may be higher in countries with greater use of alcohol. To obtain information from Russian physicians (N = 23), women (N = 23), and male partners (N = 5), focus groups were conducted with 51 participants in St. Petersburg, Russia. The main objective was to determine the participants' knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to drinking during pregnancy. Data were analyzed using ATLAS-ti 5.0. The results will be used to develop a survey of Russian professionals and women leading to FAS prevention programming. The study's limitations are described.