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Tara Link
Haley Stokes
English 1010
20 April
Pregnant Mothers Smoking
Smoking during pregnancy is a major risk for the unborn child, and can be very harmful as well. It can cause and lead to many health problems before and after birth. Some of these issues could stay with the child through out his/her whole life. Some important factors of smoking during pregnancy are: Group factors (what groups of women smoke during pregnancy), Health factors, and the amount of information, or knowledge there is on the subject. Correlations, not absolute prevalences, are of interest when it comes to identifying potential risk groups. Correlates for smoking during pregnancy can be grouped according to biological, material/structural, psychosocial and behavioral factors. Women of younger age, with a low social status, a large number of children, without a partner or with a partner who smokes, and deficient prenatal care, are more likely to smoke than women in the respective reference groups. Identifying these risk groups with an above-average prevalence of smoking during pregnancy gives us a key target population for preventive measures. (Schneider, Sven, and Jessica Schutz. "Who smokes during pregnancy? A systematic literature review of population-based surveys conducted in developed countries between 1997 and 2006.." European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. 13.2 (2008): 138-147. Print.)
Biological factors: Very young women are more likely to smoke during pregnancy. (add stats or charts to help support this statement) In US studies, a higher smoking prevalence was
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found in the Caucasian population (compared with African-American) (Schneider, Sven, and Jessica Schutz. "Who smokes during pregnancy? A systematic literature review of population-based surveys conducted in developed countries between 1997 and 2006.." European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. 13.2 (2008): 138-147. Print.)
Material/structural factors: Status indicators such as level of education, professional status and income indicators have been termed material/structural factors. Women with a college degree, higher income, and more assets are significantly less likely to smoke than individuals of lower status. (Schneider, Sven, and Jessica Schutz. "Who smokes during pregnancy? A systematic literature review of population-based surveys conducted in developed countries between 1997 and 2006.." European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. 13.2 (2008): 138-147. Print.) In some cases women smoke during their pregnancy because they are uneducated about the harmful effects it could have on their baby. Some women don’t realize that by smoking it is hurting their unborn child, or that the unborn child may develop health problems after birth and later in life due to cigarette smoke. The older people are, the more likely they are to know about the harmfulness of smoking. Data from the UK show that only one pregnant smoker out of three knew that tobacco use can cause low birth weight and growth retardation. Four out of five non-smoking pregnant women knew. (Schneider, Sven, and Jessica Schutz. "Who smokes during pregnancy? A systematic literature review of population-based surveys conducted in developed countries between 1997 and 2006.." European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. 13.2 (2008): 138-147. Print.)
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Psychosocial factors: The existence of a husband or another stable partner has a negative association with the probability of smoking during pregnancy, the number of children a women has correlates positively. (Schneider, Sven, and Jessica Schutz. "Who smokes during pregnancy? A systematic literature review of population-based surveys conducted in developed countries between 1997 and 2006.." European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. 13.2 (2008): 138-147. Print.) Women who have smoked during previous pregnancies, and gave birth to healthy children despite the association to tobacco, are less likely to cease smoking during the current pregnancy.
Behavioral factors: Whether or not a smoker stops smoking after learning of her pregnancy also depends on the extent of her smoking habit. (Schneider, Sven, and Jessica Schutz. "Who smokes during pregnancy? A systematic literature review of population-based surveys conducted in developed countries between 1997 and 2006.." European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care. 13.2 (2008): 138-147. Print.) Quitting smoking can be very difficult for the mother. Cigarettes have very addicting agents in the them that hook the smoker. Nicotine, which is found in cigarettes is highly addictive. Smoking helps the smoker to relieve stress, and when they try to quit it they become very stressful, and moody. So even if a mother knows it is bad for her unborn child she may not be able to quit. Further, women who smoke during pregnancy are negligent in terms of prenatal care.
Women of younger age, with a low social status, a large number of children, without a partner, or with a partner who smokes, and deficient prenatal care are more likely to smoke than women in the respective reference groups. Smoking generates health risks for the smoker, and
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non-smokers. It presents a particular health risk for unborn children, at a particularly critical state in their development. A tobacco control policy is needed, and it should be focused on the above target groups.
The next important factor to discuss is health factors. What kind of health problems may the baby have because of a smoking mother? There are a lot of different situations, and in those situations different health problems occur. Cigarette smoke contains more than 2,500 chemicals. It is not known for certain which of these chemicals are harmful to the developing baby, but both nicotine and carbon monoxide play a role in causing adverse pregnancy outcomes. (http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1171.asp)
Cigarettes are among the non-medicinal drugs used most widely during pregnancy, especially in Wester cultures. Although the general population of smokers is declining pregnant women show the slowest rate of decline. Numerous studies report that maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy may have a harmful effect on fetal development. (Key, Alexandra et al. "Smoking during Pregnancy Affects Speech-Processing Ability in Newborn Infants.." Environmental Health Perspectives . 115.4 (2007): 623-628. Print.)
Low birth weight in newborns is the most consistently reported consequence of maternal smoking. Babies born weighting less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces are considered low birthweight. Smoking during pregnancy can harm the health of both a woman and her unborn baby. Currently, at least 10 percent of women in the United States smoke during pregnancy. Smoking nearly doubles a woman's risk of having a low-birthweight baby. In 2004, 11.9 percent of babies born to smokers in the United States were of low birthweight (less than 5½ pounds). Low birthweight
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can result from poor growth before birth, preterm delivery or a combination of both. Smoking has long been known to slow fetal growth. Smoking also increases the risk of preterm delivery (before 37 weeks of gestation) Premature and low-birthweight babies face an increased risk of serious health problems during the newborn period, chronic lifelong disabilities (such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation and learning problems), and even death. The more a pregnant woman smokes, the greater her risk of having a low-birthweight baby. However, if a woman stops smoking even by the end of her second trimester of pregnancy, she is no more likely to have a low-birthweight baby than a woman who never smoked. (http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1171.asp)
This is why it is so important to know the effects of tobacco on unborn babies. If women are knowledgeable about the effects tobacco could possibly have then they will most likely quit. My own sister had a hard time quitting when she was pregnant, but with the help and support of my family she was able to do it. Even if the mother has smoked though some of the pregnancy, it is always better to quit when you can, rather than continuing.
Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke is also linked to various health, behavioral, and cognitive impairments. The Committee on Environmental Health noted increased incidents of asthma, respiratory infections, and middle ear effusions. Recently there was reported lower sociability/negative emotionality during infancy and increased likelihood of conduct disorders during childhood in boys and girls born to smoking mothers. Smoking during pregnancy has many bad health related outcomes. (Key, Alexandra et al. "Smoking during Pregnancy Affects
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Speech-Processing Ability in Newborn Infants.." Environmental Health Perspectives . 115.4 (2007): 623-628. Print.)
Some other health concerns for smoking while pregnant are: spontaneous abortions, ectopic pregnancies, other birth and delivery problems, fetal brain damage, growth retardation/low birth weight (Babies of smoking women average 6 oz. Less at birth than babies of nonsmoking women.), lower or higher than normal infant blood pressure (dep. on gestational age at birth), problems requiring neonatal intensive care, infant death from perinatal disorders; sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), cancer-causing agents in infants’ blood; potentially carcinogenic genetic mutations; and childhood leukemia, mental retardation, respiratory disorders during childhood, eye problems during childhood, Attention Deficit Disorder, other learning and developmental problems, behavioral problems even into the adolescent years, smoking during adolescence, and various adult health problems including obesity. (http://www.posihd.com/Smoking%20Related/Harmcausedbysmokingwhilepregnant.htm)
Asthma is the most well known and common affect of smoking while pregnant. There is an increased risk for children of developing childhood asthma. Asthma is of significant concern to healthcare providers and it is on the rise throughout the world. It plays a significant role in childhood hospitalizations and even death. Children having asthma restricts them from having normal lives. They have problems with daily activities, and it may restrict them from future sport playing, or dancing etc.
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There are many health related problems that can occur due to smoking while pregnant. This is why it is so important to educate people and get the news out about the effects of smoking on unborn babies. Unfortunately there is not a whole ton of information on the effects of smoking. If we could educate and have support groups for women who become pregnant I believe the number of women that do smoke during pregnancy would go down. We would have healthier babies, and our future generation would be healthier.
By knowing the risk groups of women who are more likely to smoke during pregnancy will help with preventative measures. We can identify these groups and help them, which in the long run will help future babies.
By helping a women stop smoking you are not only helping the baby but the mother as well. Smoking is harmful, and by quitting you are only doing good for your self and others. Imagine a world with out smoking. Imagine all the above health problems, not being problems anymore. What can we do to lessen the amount of women that smoke during pregnancy? How many lives would be changed?
