Nationwide campaign on dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy kicks off

Nigerian Breweries Plc has kicked off a nationwide campaign aimed at educating women on the dangers of consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.

Medical experts at the unveiling of the campaign in Lagos recently said alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to abnormal growth of the child, abortion, attendance problems and abnormal health.

Instead, NB Plc is encouraging pregnant women to consume beverages such as Maltina and Amstel that are rich in minerals for child growth and development.

Speaking at the programme, Sade Morgan, Corporate Affairs Director at NB Plc

said studies have shown that between 12.7% in the South-west region, to as high as 59% of pregnant women in the South-south region of Nigeria consume alcohol during pregnancy.

Going by this data, the pilot phase of the campaign was launched in three geo-political zones with the most prevalent rate of alcohol abuse during pregnancy with the aim to engage 500 direct advocates and 50,000 pregnant women through our Amstel and Maltina brands, she said.

She said through the campaign tagged Mission Nine-Zero, “we continue to discourage the consumption of alcohol among pregnant women because of its harmful effects on unborn babies. Sadly, many pregnant women are not aware of the harmful effects of alcohol on their foetus”.

She regretted that in the face of obvious health issues such as low birth weight, preterm birth, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), some of these pregnant women are still held by traditional beliefs and cultural sentiments about alcohol which make them consume it during pregnancy.

Hans Essaadi, Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said at the event that as a company that cares about the people and the environment, “it has come to our observation that there is an urgent need to raise awareness among pregnant women about the dangers of consuming alcohol which brings harm to unborn babies.

“By extension, this campaign is not only focused on pregnant women but also a call to collective action against this growing societal concern”, he said.

Lola James, Chief executive of TL James Consulting, partner to NB plc on this project said the intention is to create more awareness among women on the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.