Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder more prevalent than autism. Caused by the malformation of an embryo due to the presence of alcohol, the only way to completely prevent FASD is for a mother to abstain from drinking during pregnancy. Our sponsors, the National Organization for FASD are a non-profit working to increase awareness of FASD as well as reduce - or ideally eliminate - the prevalence of this disorder. We worked with the sponsor to support their PreventFASD campaign. The intent of the project was to develop a blueprint for a media campaign designed to reach 16-25 year old's in the UK to educate them on the effects of drinking during pregnancy and help prevent the spread of FASD. Our project had three main parts: the deployment of a national poll to understand trends and attitudes towards sexual health and alcohol, focus groups to test potential marketing messages and content, and the development of content and artifacts for the social media platform. Based on our results, we recommend that the National Organization for FASD work on expanding their social footprint on Instagram by incorporating stories and highlights into their daily posts. In addition to the research and content creation, we also created a social media guide to support our sponsor in maintaining their social media content and presence, driven by insights from our research. For future work, we recommend National FASD expand to other platforms such as TikTok, which is rising in popularity with Generation Z. There are many aspects this project could be expanded on including conducting personal interviews and addressing other more political lenses that are a part of the conversation around FASD.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Wailes, Rachelle C.
• Lin, Katie
• Folino, Molly J.
• Domkofski, Cosette J.
• Staugler, Laura

Subject

• Health
• Learning
• Community
• Inclusion
• Well-Being
• Culture

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-031821-173833
• 6121

Keyword

• pregnancy
• FASD
• alcohol
• campaign
• social media
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Advisor

• Eddy, Bethel L.
• Stanlick, Sarah Eliza

Year

• 2021

Center

• London, England Project Center - IQP

Sponsor

• National Organization for FASD

UN Sustainable Development Goals

• 3 - Good Health and Well-being
• 4 - Quality Education
• 10 - Reducing Inequality

Date created

• 2021-03-18

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2021-05-03