Tobacco use for identifying pregnant women at risk of substance abuse.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effectiveness of current smoking status as a rapid screening tool to identify pregnant women at risk of heavy alcohol and/or illicit drug use.


METHODS
Women (N = 92) seeking prenatal care were interviewed to assess lifetime and recent tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use. Rates of recent heavy alcohol and illicit drug use were compared in current smokers and nonsmokers.


RESULTS
All subjects reporting recent heavy alcohol and/or illicit drug use were current smokers; none were nonsmokers.


CONCLUSIONS
Obstetric screening of pregnant women for current smoking status seems to be a cost-effective method of identifying those at risk of antepartum heavy alcohol and/or illicit drug use.
Svikis
D
D
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Henningfield
J
J
Gazaway
P
P
Huggins
G
G
Sosnow
K
K
Hranicka
J
J
Harrow
C
C
Pickens
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011295:Prenatal Care; D012306:Risk; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology