Passive smoking by pregnant women and fetal growth.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to investigate the effect of passive smoke exposure during pregnancy on fetal growth in the Japanese population.


METHODS
The study comprised a community based interview and clinical survey of pregnant women in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.


METHODS
Participants attended for delivery at 146 private and public practices and hospital clinics in the Prefecture.


METHODS
Participants were 6831 women who delivered a live singleton without malformation during the three consecutive months from June 1987, and comprised about 34% of total deliveries in the Prefecture during the period.


RESULTS
35% of the women had been exposed passively to cigarette smoke for 2 h or more per day at home, in the work place, or in other places during pregnancy. At this level of passive exposure among non-smoking women with term deliveries (greater than or equal to 37 weeks), a small effect on fetal growth was observed; mean birth weight was reduced by 10.8 g, and the relative risk of growth retardation (less than 2500 g birth weight) was 1.0 (95% CI: 0.7-1.5), after adjusting age, parity, height, alcohol drinking, occupation, and gestation.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the reduction of fetal growth associated with passive smoke exposure during pregnancy may be small in Japanese population.
Ogawa
H
H
Division of Epidemiology, Aichi Cancer Centre, Nagoya, Japan.
Tominaga
S
S
Hori
K
K
Noguchi
K
K
Kanou
I
I
Matsubara
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution