Association between exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy and low birthweight: a narrative review

Abstract

Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) during pregnancy may have adverse effects on the mother and infant. This study investigates the association of maternal exposure to SHS with low birthweight (LBW) in infants. Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to multiple complications for both mother and infant. To examine association of LBW and environmental tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy, we reviewed 20 articles. Articles were accessed using the following electronic databases: CINAHL Plus with full text (EBSCO), PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE. The findings of this review revealed that maternal exposure to environmental smoke is correlated with LBW in infants as well as numerous other adverse effects. The majority of the studies found negative consequences of SHS on the birthweight of infants born to nonsmoking women. Thus, this review helps to confirm the association between maternal exposure to SHS and LBW in infants.

Keywords: environmental tobacco smoke; infant low birthweight; low birthweight; passive smoking; perinatal; secondhand smoke.