Breast-feeding and smoking habits among Israeli women.
BACKGROUND
Many women stop smoking before or during pregnancy, or while breast-feeding (nursing).


OBJECTIVE
To assess the relation between breast-feeding and smoking habits.


METHODS
A survey was conducted among 920 women attending family health clinics (group 1) and a maternity department (group 2) on their breast-feeding and smoking habits.


RESULTS
A total of 156 women (16.95%) smoked during pregnancy. A significant correlation was found between breast-feeding and not smoking after delivery (P = 0.009 in group 1, P = 0.03 in group 2). A higher tendency to nurse was found among women with an uneventful pregnancy, who vaginally delivered a singleton at term weighing 2,500-4000 g, and who received guidance on breast-feeding.


CONCLUSIONS
Professional guidance in favor of breast-feeding is crucial to increase the rate of nursing. Encouraging breast-feeding will probably decrease the rate of cigarette smoking.
Ringel
S
S
Division of Pediatrics, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin, Israel.
Kahan
E
E
Greenberg
R
R
Arieli
S
S
Blay
A
A
Berkovitch
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D001942:Breast Feeding; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007774:Lactation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000652:urine; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012923:Social Class
D009538:Nicotine; D003404:Creatinine