Dr. Susan Kirkland and colleagues have analysed the data from routinely collected perinatal records of 8528 women in Nova Scotia whose smoking status before pregnancy was known. Overall, 33.1% smoked before their pregnancy; of these, 69.9% smoked throughout the pregnancy, 13% quit by their first prenatal visit and maintained their nonsmoking status, and 8% were smoking at the time of their first prenatal visit but quit by the time of delivery.
In an accompanying commentary Shahul Ebrahim and colleagues review the steps physicians can take to increase the rate of smoking cessation among pregnant women.
Smoking during pregnancy among women in Nova Scotia -- S.A. Kirkland et al Dr. Susan Kirkland, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax; tel 902 494-3860
Reducing the burden of smoking during pregnancy -- S.H. Ebrahim et al
Additional contact: Dr. Shahul Ebrahim, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta;
tel 770-488-3212
Canadian Medical Association Journal