Milken Institute School of Public Health Poster Presentations (Marvin Center & Video)

Evaluating the effects of maternal smoking on infant birth weight

Poster Number

105

Document Type

Poster

Status

Graduate Student - Masters

Abstract Category

Prevention and Community Health

Keywords

smoking; maternal smoking; birth weight; low birth weight

Publication Date

4-2017

Abstract

Background: Prenatal maternal smoking is associated with 20-30% increased risk of low birth weight (LBW). Quitting smoking during pregnancy has almost immediate health benefits for both mothers and their babies, with longer term benefits being a function of sustained cessation. Despite this fact, many women find it difficult to quit when they learn about their pregnancy. This study investigated the relationship between maternal smoking and infant birth weight (BW) using a cohort of pregnant women from a randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Data was drawn from Quit4Baby study, a text-message-based smoking cessation trial. The sample comprised of 307 participants who had their baby by the end of 6 month follow-up interview. Bivariate analysis were performed to evaluate the association between maternal smoking and BW.

Results: Out of the 307 participants who have had their babies, 15.6% reported having LBW babies (<2500 >grams). Results from Pearson’s correlation showed no relationship between number of cigarettes smoked per day at pre partum and BW (r= 0.014 p= 0.832). Other smoking variables like living with a smoker, smoking status in the past 7 days and 30 days, and pre partum cigarette reduction were also not associated with LBW. Demographics like Black/African American race and yearly income of up to $ 15,000, which previously have shown association were also not associated with LBW.

Conclusions: Small sample size and nature of the Text4Baby sample from which this study’s participants were recruited, could have been the reasons for observing results that do not match previous literature. Future studies may conduct analysis using a larger sample size of pregnant smokers to better explain the association between maternal smoking and infant birth weight.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Open Access

1

Comments

Poster to be presented at GW Annual Research Days 2017.

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Evaluating the effects of maternal smoking on infant birth weight

Background: Prenatal maternal smoking is associated with 20-30% increased risk of low birth weight (LBW). Quitting smoking during pregnancy has almost immediate health benefits for both mothers and their babies, with longer term benefits being a function of sustained cessation. Despite this fact, many women find it difficult to quit when they learn about their pregnancy. This study investigated the relationship between maternal smoking and infant birth weight (BW) using a cohort of pregnant women from a randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Data was drawn from Quit4Baby study, a text-message-based smoking cessation trial. The sample comprised of 307 participants who had their baby by the end of 6 month follow-up interview. Bivariate analysis were performed to evaluate the association between maternal smoking and BW.

Results: Out of the 307 participants who have had their babies, 15.6% reported having LBW babies (<2500>grams). Results from Pearson’s correlation showed no relationship between number of cigarettes smoked per day at pre partum and BW (r= 0.014 p= 0.832). Other smoking variables like living with a smoker, smoking status in the past 7 days and 30 days, and pre partum cigarette reduction were also not associated with LBW. Demographics like Black/African American race and yearly income of up to $ 15,000, which previously have shown association were also not associated with LBW.

Conclusions: Small sample size and nature of the Text4Baby sample from which this study’s participants were recruited, could have been the reasons for observing results that do not match previous literature. Future studies may conduct analysis using a larger sample size of pregnant smokers to better explain the association between maternal smoking and infant birth weight.