FAS/FAE Information Tool Kit. 2003.

An information tool kit designed to help build a case for action in Atlantic Canada on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), the birth defects caused by alcohol use during pregnancy.
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Description

The FAS/FAE Information Tool Kit addresses the issue of birth defects caused by alcohol use during pregnancy: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). The purpose of the kit is to enable stakeholders, including governments and non-governmental organizations, to promote their work and to create awareness of the effects of fetal alcohol exposure. The tool kit consists of a series of fact sheets, an extensive list of resource material, a bibliography and a slide presentation in several electronic formats. The information contained in the fact sheets and slide presentation describes FAS/FAE, the numbers of people affected in Atlantic Canada by province, the groups that are at higher risk, the economic cost of the condition in the Region and the means of preventing it. The kit also includes the following recommendations, drawn from Health Canada consultations in Atlantic Canada and the Alberta/Northwest Territories Region:

1. Work within a health promotion and prevention framework to address Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). This means addressing the broader social determinants as well as the systemic causes of alcoholism, poverty, violence, cultural breakdown, underemployment, lack of housing and lack of access to health care.
2. Facilitate early diagnosis of FAS/FAE.
3. Use existing capacity and relationships. The Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program, Community Action Program for Children, and Aboriginal Head Start are good programming sites for prevention and early intervention.
4. Encourage collaboration among governments (federal, provincial, and territorial), with the private sector, and with non-governmental organizations.
5. Implement provincial/regional coordination to collaborate and address FAS/FAE issues using a teamwork approach.
6. Promote FAS/FAE education (including for health care professionals), as well as awareness raising among the general public.
7. Recognize cultural differences and incorporate traditional First Nations and Inuit values in the models used for FAS/FAE programs, alcohol treatment and other services.

Credits

FAS/FAE Information Tool Kit was produced by the Atlantic Regional Office of the Population and Public Health Branch in collaboration with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada.

Availability

This resource is available for download in English (758 KB) and French (792 KB).

For more information on obtaining copies of the tool kit, call or write

Public Health Agency of Canada
Suite 1525, 15th Floor, Maritime Centre
1505 Barrington Street
Halifax, NS B3J 3Y6
Tel: (902) 426-2700
Fax: (902) 426-9689
E-mail: atlantic-atlantique@phac-aspc.gc.ca

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