Smoking before, during, and after pregnancy.

TLDR

High relapse rates indicate that although fetal health strongly influences smoking, women may not fully appreciate passive smoke’s impact on infants. The study presents the first national data on smoking patterns before, during, and after pregnancy. Data were derived from the 1986 Linked Telephone Survey, reinterviewing 1,550 White women aged 20–44 who had participated in the 1985 National Health Interview Survey. Among White women who smoked before pregnancy, 39 % quit during pregnancy, but relapse was common—70 % resumed within a year, 67 % within three months, and 93 % within six months—while lower education and heavier pre‑pregnancy smoking reduced quit rates, though relapse rates did not differ by education.

Abstract

We report the first national data on smoking before, during, and after pregnancy. Estimates are based on the 1986 Linked Telephone Survey that reinterviewed 1,550 White women 20-44 years of age who were respondents to the 1985 National Health Interview Survey. An estimated 39 percent of White women who had smoked before pregnancy quit smoking while pregnant (27 percent when they found out they were pregnant and 12 percent later during pregnancy). Women with less than 12 years of education were five times as likely to smoke and one-fourth as likely to quit as those with 16 or more years of education. Women who smoked more than one pack of cigarettes per day before pregnancy were one-fifth as likely to quit as those smoking less. Of the women who quit, 70 percent resumed smoking within one year of delivery. Of those who relapsed, 67 percent resumed smoking within three months of delivery and 93 percent within six months. There is little evidence of educational differentials in relapse rates. The fact that relapse remains high suggests that while health of the fetus is a strong influence on women's smoking habits, women may be less aware of the effect of passive smoke on the infant.