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. 2002 Nov;92(11):1801-8.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.92.11.1801.

A reexamination of smoking before, during, and after pregnancy

Robert S Kahn  1 , Laura Certain, Robert C Whitaker
Affiliations

A reexamination of smoking before, during, and after pregnancy

Robert S Kahn et al. Am J Public Health. 2002 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the patterns and correlates of maternal smoking before, during, and after pregnancy.

Methods: We examined socioeconomic, demographic, and clinical risk factors associated with maternal smoking in a nationally representative cohort of women (n = 8285) who were surveyed 17 +/- 5 months and again 35 +/- 5 months after delivery.

Results: Smoking rates among women with a college degree decreased 30% from before pregnancy to 35 months postpartum but did not change among the least educated women. Risk factors clustered, and a gradient linked the number of risk factors (0, 2, 4) to the percentage smoking (6%, 31%, 58%, P <.0001).

Conclusions: The period of pregnancy and early parenthood is associated with worsening education-related disparities in smoking as well as substantial clustering of risk factors. These observations could influence the targeting and design of maternal smoking interventions.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
—Smoking patterns before, during, and after pregnancy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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