A 28 year follow up of mortality among women who smoked during pregnancy

• Published in: BMJ
• Main Authors: Rantakallio, Paula, Laara, Esa, Koiranen, Markku
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 1995
• Subjects: PAPERS; Northern Finland
• Online Access: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/311/7003/477; https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.311.7003.477

Abstract Objective : To investigate long term mortality among women who smoked during pregnancy and those who stopped smoking. Design : A follow up of a geographically defined cohort from 1966 through to 1993. Subjects : 11994 women in northern Finland expected to deliver in 1966, comprising 96% of all women giving birth in the area during that year. Smoking habits were recorded during pregnancy but not later. Main outcome measure : Mortality by cause (571 deaths). Results : The mortality ratio adjusted for age, place of residence, years of education and marital status was 2.3 (95% confidence interval 1.8 to 2.8) for the women who smoked during pregnancy and 1.6 (1.1 to 2.2) for those who stopped smoking before the second month of pregnancy, both compared with non-smokers. Among the smokers the relative mortality was higher for typical diseases related to tobacco intake, such as respiratory and oesophageal cancer and diseases of the cardiovascular and digestic organs and also for accidents and suicides. Conclusion : The risk of premature death seems to be higher in women who smoke during pregnancy than in other women who smoke. This may be explained either by the low proportion of those who stop later and the high proportion of heavy smokers or by other characteristics of these subjects that increase the risk. Key messages <l type="unord"> Key messages In addition to causes of death related to tobacco intake excess mortality was also caused by accidents and suicides Health education about ill effects of tobacco or legal restrictions and controls on smoking behaviour will probably not alone lead to a cessation of smoking among women who smoke during pregnancy; they also need support to learn to cope more effectively with sources of stress in their lives Differences in lifestyle between smokers and non-smokers may also act as confounders which are difficult to control for when the health consequences of maternal smoking on the child are being evaluated </l>