Cigarette smoking, low birth weight, and preterm births in low-income African American women.
OBJECTIVE
To examine effects of light and heavy cigarette smoking on the incidence of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm births in African American women.


METHODS
A total of 1146 low-income African American women participated in a randomized trial to test the effectiveness of nursing intervention in the reduction of preterm and LBW births. This secondary analysis focused on the effects of cigarette smoking on LBW (< 2500 gm) and preterm (< 37 weeks' gestation) births.


RESULTS
Cigarette smoking had a significant effect on both LBW and preterm births. When light smokers were compared with nonsmokers, odds ratios were 1.89 (confidence interval (CI) 1.15, 3.13; p = 0.0127) for LBW births and 1.74 (CI 1.00; 3.02; p = 0.0499) for preterm births. When heavy smokers were compared with nonsmokers, odds ratios were 3.03 (CI 1.90, 4.86; p = 0.001) for LBW births and 2.60 (CI 1.55, 4.35; p = 0.0003) for preterm births.


CONCLUSIONS
Cigarette smoking was associated with significantly higher rates of both LBW and preterm births in this sample of African American women.
Moore
M L
ML
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. mmoore@wfubmc.edu
Zaccaro
D J
DJ
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000208:ethnology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires