Journal Article

Alcohol Use During Pregnancy in Canada: How Policy Moments Can Create Opportunities for Promoting Women's Health

Nancy Poole, Lorraine Greaves

2013

Overview

This article addresses the challenge of igniting action on health promotion for women in Canada with respect to alcohol use during pregnancy. We illustrate that accelerated action on health promotion for women that engages multiple levels of players, women-centred and harm-reduction frameworks and a gendered approach to understanding women's lives can be achieved when the right policy moment occurs. We illustrate this by describing the opportunity afforded by the Olympic Games in 2010, where the BC government used the Games to encourage action on women's health promotion and the prevention of alcohol use in pregnancy. We suggest that the 2011 announcement of new low-risk drinking guidelines that recommend lower intake of alcohol for women than for men offers another, to date unused, opportunity.

• Publisher: Canadian Public Health Association / Association canadienne de santé publique,Springer International Publishing,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Action / Adult / Alcohol drinking / Alcohol Drinking - prevention & control / Alcohol use / Alcohols / Anniversaries and Special Events / Canada / Commentary / Drinking behavior / Drinking of alcoholic beverages / Female / Fetuses / Government / Guidelines as Topic / Harm reduction / Health aspects / Health education / Health Policy / Health promotion / Health Promotion - organization & administration / Humans / Initiatives / Male / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Men / Mens health / Olympic games / Pregnancy / Pregnant women / Pregnant Women - psychology / Prevention / Public Health / Risk Assessment / Women / Women's Health / Womens health