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BACKGROUND	Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ( FASDs ) are the leading known preventable birth defects in North America .
BACKGROUND	Knowledge surveys about FASD have been conducted with various health and allied healthcare providers and have proven useful in identifying gaps in knowledge and differences among provider groups to support prevention efforts .
BACKGROUND	To date , no research has been conducted exploring FASD knowledge among college students .
OBJECTIVE	This study explored FASD knowledge in a sample of college students , a group at particularly high risk for alcohol-exposed pregnancies .
OBJECTIVE	Findings are compared to professionals in several healthcare and affiliated professional groups who were previously surveyed with the same FASD-related items .
METHODS	Surveys from 1,035 college students at a northwestern university were analyzed .
METHODS	Included with the ACHA-National College Health Assessment II were questions regarding FASD .
METHODS	College students ' knowledge was compared with that of professionals in key healthcare and affiliated positions to define their relative awareness of FASD risk .
RESULTS	Overall , findings revealed adequate FASD knowledge among college students .
RESULTS	Although minor differences emerged when comparing students and professionals ' responses , most respondent groups answered with an 85 % accuracy rate or higher .
CONCLUSIONS	College students demonstrated adequate knowledgeable about FASD .
CONCLUSIONS	Future research must explore whether such knowledge translates into lower risk behavior and consequent reduction in alcohol-exposed pregnancies .

