Smoking Cessation during the Second Half of Pregnancy Prevents Low Birth Weight among Australian Born Babies in Regional New South Wales

Pramesh Raj Ghimire, Julie Mooney, Louise Fox and Lorraine Dubois
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Pramesh Raj Ghimire: Population Health, Southern New South Wales Local Health District, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620, Australia
Julie Mooney: Nursing and Midwifery, Southern New South Wales Local Health District, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620, Australia
Louise Fox: Integrated Care and Allied Health, Southern New South Wales Local Health District, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620, Australia
Lorraine Dubois: Population Health, Southern New South Wales Local Health District, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Smoking during pregnancy is a modifiable risk behavior of adverse health outcomes including low birth weight (LBW), and LBW is a key marker of newborns immediate and future health. This study aimed to examine the association between smoking cessation during the second half of pregnancy and LBW among babies born in Southern New South Wales Local Health District (SNSWLHD). Routinely collected perinatal data on singleton live births for the period 2011–2019 in five public hospitals of SNSWLHD were utilized. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to examine the association between smoking cessation during the second half of pregnancy and LBW. Analyses showed that mothers who ceased smoking during the second half of pregnancy were 44% less likely to have LBW babies (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.56; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.34, 0.94) compared to those who continued smoking throughout pregnancy. Mothers who reported an average daily dose of 1–10 or >10 cigarettes during the second half of pregnancy were significantly more likely to have babies with LBW than those who ceased smoking during the second half of pregnancy. Early identification of smoking behavior and promotion of smoking-cessation intervention for risk populations including pregnant women within the older age bracket (35–49 years) is imperative to reduce LBW.

Keywords: tobacco smoking; epidemiology; smoking cessation; low birth weight; pregnancy; Australia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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