Pregnant mothers, quit smoking for kid’s future

SYDNEY - Women who quit smoking during the initial months of pregnancy are likely to ensure long-term benefits for their unborn children, says a new study, underscoring the benefits of giving up nicotine.

“Even if a woman was smoking in initial months of pregnancy, it was not too late to quit to improve the outcomes for her child. Our analysis revealed that there was an association between mothers who quit by four months gestation and a reduced risk of behavioural problems in the child,” said study co-author Monique Robinson, doctoral student at the University of Western Australia (UWA).

She said the study showed that smoking throughout pregnancy resulted in a higher risk of behavioural problems in children than those kids whose mothers did not smoke or quit smoking before four months gestation.

“While significant inroads have been made in reducing smoking in the population, one in six women still smoke in pregnancy,” Robinson said.

The analysis was drawn from data collected from more than 2,800 participants in the Raine Study. Behaviour was assessed among children aged two, five, eight, 10 and 14, according to an UWA release.

The findings will be published in the next edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.