About 200,000 Albertans live with FASD, minister says on awareness day
Alberta marked International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day on Sept. 9, a date chosen to symbolize the nine months of pregnancy since 1999.
Why it matters
An estimated 200,000 Albertans live with FASD, a preventable lifelong disability, making awareness and support services a widespread public health concern in the province.
Alberta's Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services, Nathan Neudorf, issued a statement Sept. 9 marking International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day, noting that about four per cent of Canadians live with FASD, including an estimated 200,000 Albertans. FASD is a lifelong disability caused by alcohol exposure in the womb, and Neudorf stressed there is no safe time, type or amount of alcohol to consume during pregnancy.
Neudorf said Alberta is a leader in FASD prevention, diagnosis and support, pointing to the province's 12 FASD Service Networks that work to raise awareness, improve diagnosis and connect Albertans with services. He thanked the organizations, professionals and families who support people with FASD and encouraged Albertans to learn more about the condition.
The statement also referenced a University of Calgary study finding that males in Northwest/North Central Alberta and in lower socioeconomic areas were more likely to receive an FASD diagnosis than the rest of the province's population.
Information on FASD and available supports is posted on the provincial government's website.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.