The groundbreaking campaign website has clocked more than 1 million visits since launching in November 2021.
The campaign, which provides evidence-based information and advice about alcohol, pregnancy and breastfeeding was developed by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) and funded by the Australian Government.
FARE CEO Caterina Giorgi said: “The campaign video has been viewed more than 65 million times, and the audio advertisement listened to more than 9.8 million times.
“More than 45 per cent of the Australian general population recognises the campaign, and among women who are trying to conceive this is even higher at more than 65 per cent.
“Today is International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day, and we are acknowledging how far we’ve come in raising awareness of FASD and supporting Australians to have alcohol-free pregnancies.”
Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler said: “The Australian Government is proud to continue our investment in this important and impactful campaign, and to lead the world in FASD awareness and prevention.
“We look forward to achieving a generational change in achieving alcohol-free pregnancies, and a reduction in the number of babies being born with FASD across Australia.”
The campaign aims to:
- Increase Australians’ awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, including FASD.
- Increase the proportion of Australians who are aware alcohol should not be consumed during pregnancy and that it is safest not to drink alcohol when breastfeeding.
- Increase the proportion of Australian women who intend to not drink any alcohol during pregnancy and when breastfeeding.
The results of the campaign evaluation led by the University of Adelaide demonstrate the campaign is making a difference, with surveys of the target audience finding that between January 2022 and November 20231 there was:
- An increase in the proportion of women who would abstain from alcohol during pregnancy if they were to become pregnant from 82.6 per cent to 90.1 per cent.
- A decrease in the proportion of women who would consume at least some alcohol from 15 per cent to 9.7 per cent.
Between October 2021 (a month prior to the campaign launch) and October 20232, there were significant changes in the proportion of Australians who:
- Know there is no safe number of standard alcoholic drinks a pregnant woman can consume on any one day to avoid harm to the developing baby – from 73.3 per cent to 79.6 per cent.
- Know there is no safe type of alcohol that can be consumed during pregnancy – from 69.2 per cent to 73.2 per cent
- Know there is no safe time to consume alcohol during pregnancy – from 67.5 per cent to 73.5 per cent
- Are aware of FASD – from 51.5 per cent to 54.4 per cent
The campaign is based on the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian Guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking (the Guidelines), which state that women who are pregnant should not drink alcohol, and for women who are breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest for their baby.
