HHS HealthBeat (July 26, 2010)

Quitting for Baby’s sake

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Quitting smoking is one of the best things a pregnant smoker can do. And a study at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention underlines the importance, by documenting what can happen if the mother keeps smoking.

The review of national data found smoking caused up to 8 percent of premature births and up to 19 percent of cases of term low birth weight. The researchers also link smoking with up to 7 percent of deaths related to premature births and up to 34 percent of cases of sudden infant death syndrome.

Researcher Patricia Dietz:

"Smoking is a very well-established cause of restricting fetal growth during pregnancy and also shortening the length of pregnancy." (8 seconds)

The study was in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: November 21, 2011