The effect of low to moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and binge drinking episodes on draw-a-person at age 5 years.

This study examined the effects of maternal alcohol consumption and binge drinking during pregnancy on children’s Draw-A-Person (DAP) scores.  Participants were 1,533 5-year-olds from the Danish National Birth Cohort.  Regression analyses revealed an adverse effect of nine or more drinks per week.  A drop in mean DAP score of 6.26 (95 % CI: -12.24; -0.39) was observed in the fully adjusted model.  A significant interaction between average weekly consumption and binge episodes also was observed.  Findings suggest that prenatal exposure to moderate weekly doses of alcohol and binge drinking episodes are associated with lowered scores on the DAP.