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Study encourages pregnant smokers to quit20 February 2008
Spokesman from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Mothers-to-be who quit smoking during the first five months of their pregnancy reduce the risk of harm to their unborn baby, UK research indicates. The study, carried out by Emma Tominey, a research assistant at the London School of Economics, suggests that the effects of smoking on birthweight increases during pregnancy, with the biggest effects seen in mothers who smoke for the full nine months. Smoking while pregnant has previously been shown to increase the risk of low birthweight and miscarriage. "It is certainly not the case that mothers can smoke for the first five months of pregnancy and cause no harm. Smoking during pregnancy is harmful," explained Tominey. However, she added: "If mums change their behaviour by quitting smoking in the first five months of pregnancy, they can improve their child's health. Other factors, including diet and exercise, also have an impact." For her study, Tominey analysed data on 6,860 children born to 3,368 mothers between 1973 and 2000, taken from the UK National Child Development Study. She found that women who quit smoking in the first five months of pregnancy reduce the risk of harm to their unborn baby, so smoking may have almost no effect. However, smoking throughout pregnancy was still associated with lower birthweight babies. "The third trimester, when the baby increases in size, may be most affected by smoking", Tominey told the BUPA health information team, "but further research into outcomes other than birthweight would provide further insight into the effects of smoking during pregnancy." The report also suggests that the level of education a mother has received affects the birthweight of her children. "Policies should be targeted at low-educated mums who smoke for longer and more often, which means there is larger potential for harm," commented Tominey. A spokesman for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) highlighted: "The report doesn't suggest that smoking is safe." "There are conditions which can arise from smoking when pregnant, such as asthma and sudden infant death syndrome." To protect your child, ASH advises pregnant smokers to quit as soon as they can. "The principle is to not give up on mothers who fail to quit as soon as they find out they are pregnant. Efforts may also need to be concentrated on mothers with lower educational attainment," the spokesman added. The key message from ASH to mothers who smoke is clear: "Just because you don't succeed the first time, keep trying. Don't give up on giving up." Related information
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Just because you don't succeed the first time, keep trying. 
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