Smoking one to two cigarettes a day increases risk of serious health problems in newborns, study finds

According to a study published Tuesday, if the mother smoked before or during pregnancy, the risk that the baby will be placed on a ventilator, in intensive care or will suffer from sepsis or an epileptic seizure is about 30% higher.

If a woman smokes even one or two cigarettes a day before or at any time during her pregnancy, it increases the risk of serious health problems for her newborn, reveals a study published Tuesday, August 20 on the website of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health published by the British Medical Journal, which franceinfo was able to consult. For example, the baby may be placed on respiratory assistance from birth, or placed in a neonatal intensive care unit, or suffer from septicemia or an epileptic seizure.

This is one of the few studies that looked at when and how much the mother smoked. If the mother smoked before pregnancy, the risk of her child having more than one serious neonatal health problem is 27% higher than if she did not smoke. If she smoked during pregnancy, the risk is 31% higher than if she did not smoke. For women who smoked one to two cigarettes a day before pregnancy, the risk is 16% higher. It rises to 31% if the woman smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day before pregnancy.

The scientists conclude by explaining that smoking should not be done at all before or during pregnancy. There is no period during which a woman can smoke without endangering her future newborn or amount of tobacco consumed that does not endanger the unborn child, either before or during pregnancy. They emphasize the need for prevention to combat smoking.

A message shared by health authorities in France, notes the science post from franceinfo. In the 2021 national perinatal survey, 12% of pregnant women reported smoking during the 3rd trimester of their pregnancy. A proportion that is falling since it stood at 16% in 2016.

Methodology: To conduct the study, the scientists studied the U.S. Vital Statistics System database, which records birth certificates and medical information about the health of the mother and child (National Vital Statistics System). To avoid statistical bias, the team excluded data on multiple births, women who had high blood pressure or diabetes before pregnancy, as this can lead to neonatal risks. Women who were too young or too old, or those for whom there was no information on their smoking during their pregnancy or in the three months before, were also excluded. In the end, the study covered more than 12 million mother-child duos recorded between 2016 and 2019.