This interview was published 02.07.2025 as scientific news at the University of Gdańsk website.
What is FASD?
“FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) is a developmental disorder that occurs in children whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy,” explains dr Aleksandra Lewandowska-Walter, the project leader. “People with FASD experience, among other things, difficulties with learning, problem-solving, following social norms, regulating emotions, and building interpersonal relationships. These are the consequences of damage to the central nervous system (CNS). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the most severe form of damage caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, in which, in addition to CNS damage, there are also prenatal and postnatal growth disorders, facial dysmorphia, and heart defects.”
Disorders associated with FASD can be 100% prevented through abstinence during pregnancy. Meanwhile, the estimated prevalence of alcohol consumption among pregnant women in Europe ranges from 21% to 29%. In the countries participating in the project, these estimates are as follows:
- in Poland: 24.5%
- in Lithuania: 25.0%
- in Denmark: 45.8%
- in Sweden: 9.4%
- in Germany: 25.8%.
The deficits associated with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) affect intellectual and social development not only during fetal life and the neonatal period, but also throughout adolescence and adulthood. This naturally presents challenges for caregivers, such as the risk of experiencing stigma, lack of support in coping with the child’s complex behaviors, anxiety about the child, stress, a sense of isolation, or financial difficulties related to therapy.
However, alcohol use during pregnancy is not only an issue affecting individuals or their families. It is a medical, psychosocial, and sociological problem that exists worldwide. The authors of the project aim to address these challenges in the South Baltic region.
About the FASD-Bridge project
The FASD-Bridge project responds to the WHO’s recommendation for implementing the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022–2030, aimed at minimizing harmful alcohol use, including reducing prenatal alcohol exposure. In July 2024, the Polish Ombudsman for Children called on the Ministry of National Education to take urgent action to raise awareness of FASD among professionals supporting pregnant women and families, including doctors, educators, and psychologists.
“Data collected on support programs in non-European countries clearly show that designing interventions focused not only on the child but also on increasing the awareness and knowledge of caregivers has a positive impact on family dynamics and the quality of life of its members,” notes dr Aleksandra Lewandowska-Walter. “The goal of the FASD-Bridge Model will be to help implement in practice the ‘oxygen mask principle’, which says that in order to help others, one must first take care of oneself.”
One of the initiators of the project was the “For the Family” Foundation, which runs an adoption center. The foundation drew attention to the lack of support for families (especially adoptive ones) raising children with FASD — a problem that affects the majority of children reported to the center. It is also alarming that one of the populations at the highest risk of FASD worldwide consists of children adopted from Eastern Europe. The partners interested in the project were brought together through the efforts of the Marshal’s Office of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, specifically the Department of Regional and Spatial Development.
“As the University of Gdańsk, we proposed the first draft of the project, and thanks to the support of the Marshal’s Office and the Regional Contact Point for the ‘Interreg South Baltic’ program, we managed to attract partners from both Poland and abroad. Our project also received a recommendation from EUSBSR PA Health (EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Policy Area Health),” says dr A. Lewandowska-Walter. “Moreover, even at the application preparation stage, we received great support from the University of Gdańsk’s Center for Sustainable Development, which shared its experience from the BALTICBEAT project, also funded by the ‘Interreg South Baltic’ program.”
The only one in the cathegory
The full name of the FASD-Bridge project is “Comprehensive Cross-Border Initiative for Early Diagnosis and Holistic Support for FAS/FASD Families in the South Baltic Region” (“Kompleksowa inicjatywa transgraniczna na rzecz wczesnej diagnozy i holistycznego wsparcia dla rodzin FAS/FASD w regionie Południowego Bałtyku”).
The initiative will be implemented under Priority 4.1 – Strengthen the cooperation capacity of actors based within the South Baltic Area (including civil society).
FASD-Bridge is the only project from the 4th call of the Interreg South Baltic Programme 2021–2027 to receive funding under this priority.
The project aims to strengthen connections between research institutions and public entities in the Baltic region to ensure the most effective implementation of strategies supporting individuals with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), as well as their families.
The two main areas of activity in the project are:
- Regional epidemiology and improvement of early FASD diagnosis,
- Development of a comprehensive support model for families raising individuals with FASD, along with the transfer of the developed solutions to institutions working with people with FASD and their families in each of the partner countries.
The project — led by the University of Gdańsk — will be carried out in cooperation with the University of Greifswald (Germany), the University Hospital in Klaipėda (Lithuania), the “For the Family” Foundation (Poland), and three associated partners from Sweden, Denmark, and Poland. These are: the Regional Social Welfare Center (Pomeranian Voivodeship), the Swedish FAS Association (Sweden), and “Children of the Future” (Denmark).
The stakeholders of the project will include: parents and caregivers of individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) or at risk of FASD, healthcare professionals, educators, social workers, as well as policymakers and public institutions involved in areas such as social welfare.
The project (in terms of content) was prepared by the team consisting of dr Aleksandra Lewandowska-Walter, prof Maria Kaźmierczak, and prof. Małgorzata Lipowska, with administrative support from Jolanta Mrozek-Kwiatkowska and Monika Wielgórska.
The project is scheduled for implementation between 2025 and 2028.
The original post was prepared by Karolina Żuk-Wieczorkiewicz/Communication and Promotion Centre