Pregnant women still smoking

Despite the known health consequences of smoking during pregnancy, about 48 percent of women smokers continue to light up after learning they’re pregnant, according to the second in a series of action papers published by the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention.

Based on a survey conducted with some 6,000 Wisconsinites last year, the paper also reveals that women who continue to smoke during pregnancy consume an average of 11.5 cigarettes a day.

Pregnant smokers are more likely to have friends and family who smoke, to have started smoking at a younger age and to have lower annual incomes.

The major difference between those who have attempted to quit smoking during pregnancy and those who haven’t is education. Nearly 40 percent of those who didn’t try to quit had less than a high school education.

Physician intervention may also be a contributing factor. While respondents reported that about 88 percent of doctors ask about tobacco use and 78 percent recommend quitting, only about 10 percent of the respondents said their physicians provided information or referrals for smoking cessation programs.

The good news: 31 percent of those pregnant women who smoke are trying to quit and, among them, 61 percent stay smoke-free during the pregnancy.

CTRI published the paper in cooperation with the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation and the Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board.