Maternal smoking: risks related to maternal asthma and reduced birth weight in a Pacific Island birth cohort in New Zealand.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated associations between smoking and maternal asthma and two indicators of pregnancy outcome: birth weight and preterm delivery.


METHODS
Data were gathered as part of the Pacific Islands Families (PIF) Study. Mothers of a cohort of 1398 Pacific infants born in South Auckland, New Zealand during 2000 were interviewed when their infants were 6 weeks old. Mothers were questioned regarding maternal health and lifestyle behaviours such as cigarette smoking. Additional data were obtained from hospital records. Analyses focused on 1368 biological mothers.


RESULTS
Approximately 20% of mothers reported smoking during their last trimester of pregnancy. Logistic regression analyses showed that smokers had over twice the risk of having maternal asthma as well as a low birth weight (LBW) or small for gestational age (SGA) infant than non-smokers. Smoking significantly reduced mean birth weight from between 149.2 grams (1-9 cigarettes) to 204.3 grams (10+ cigarettes). No significant association was found between smoking and preterm birth.


CONCLUSIONS
Smoking is preventable, yet continues to have negative consequences for mothers and their offspring. Findings can inform public health policy and smoking cessation programmes for Pacific families.
Carter
Sarnia
S
Pacific Islands Families Study, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland. sarnia.carter@aut.ac.nz
Percival
Teuila
T
Paterson
Janis
J
Williams
Maynard
M
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001249:Asthma / Q000208:ethnology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000208:ethnology*; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000208:ethnology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors