Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40705230›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of epidemiology2025

Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and healthcare use during childhood and adolescence: a Danish nationwide cohort study 1997-2022.

Julie Marie Winckler, Kathrine Kold Sørensen, Katrine Strandberg-Larsen, Christian Torp-Pedersen, Ulrik Schiøler Kesmodel, Mikkel Porsborg Andersen, Marcella Broccia

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Julie Marie WincklerDepartment of Cardiology, Nordsjaellands Hospital, 3400, Hillerød, Denmark. julie_marie@live.dk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3106-7270
Kathrine Kold SørensenDepartment of Cardiology, Nordsjaellands Hospital, 3400, Hillerød, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9402-1317
Katrine Strandberg-LarsenSection of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7061-3767
Christian Torp-PedersenDepartment of Cardiology, Nordsjaellands Hospital, 3400, Hillerød, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2892-6131
Ulrik Schiøler KesmodelDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3868-106X
Mikkel Porsborg AndersenDepartment of Cardiology, Nordsjaellands Hospital, 3400, Hillerød, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6162-5205
Marcella BrocciaDepartment of Cardiology, Nordsjaellands Hospital, 3400, Hillerød, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5257-7448

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure may experience increased healthcare needs and access barriers. We aimed to quantify their healthcare utilisation patterns compared to all other Danish children in this nationwide cohort study of children born 1997-2020, followed until Dec 31, 2022. Data was derived from eight national registers. Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure was defined by hospital contacts with 100% alcohol-attributable diagnoses given to mother or child, redeemed prescriptions for drugs to treat alcohol dependence, or enrollment into treatment clinics, one year before or during pregnancy. We estimated age- and sex-specific rates and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for use of somatic and psychiatric hospitals, and use of general practice (GP), and risk ratio (RR) for participation in the GP-based preventive child health programme. Of 1,457,962 children followed for 17,778,705 person-years, 5898 (0.4%) were heavily prenatal alcohol exposed. Exposed children had higher use of GP and hospitals compared to reference children, particularly notable for psychiatric hospital contacts with IRR for respectively ages 0-5, 6-11 and 12-18 years of 3.55 (2.98-4.24), 2.68 (2.41-2.98), and 2.19 (1.95-2.46); and for planned outpatient contacts 2.01 (1.92-2.10), 1.29 (1.21-1.37), and 1.20 (1.12-1.28). Despite higher healthcare use, participation in the preventive child health programme had a RR of 0.69 (95% CI 0.67-0.72) for exposed compared to reference children. The higher use of hospitals and GP, but lower participation in the child health programme underscores the long-term consequences and societal burden of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure, and leaves a need for awareness and adequate support to ensure health equity.

Indexed as

Alcohol DrinkingFetal Alcohol Spectrum DisordersPatient Acceptance of Health CarePrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesDenmarkFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMalePregnancyRegistriesAlcohol use disorderEpidemiologyFetal alcohol spectrum disordersHealth care utilisationHospital contactPreventive care

Identifiers

PMID40705230
PMCPMC12537608

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.