Читать книгу Lifespan Development - Tara L. Kuther - Страница 165

Every package of cigarettes sold in the United States includes a warning about the dangers of smoking while pregnant. Fetal deaths, premature births, and low birthweight are up to twice as frequent in mothers who are smokers than in those who do not smoke (Juárez & Merlo, 2013). Infants exposed to smoke while in the womb are prone to congenital heart defects, respiratory problems, and sudden infant death syndrome and, as children, show more behavior problems, have attention difficulties, and score lower on intelligence and achievement tests (He et al., 2017; Lee & Lupo, 2013; Sutin et al., 2017). Moreover, maternal smoking during pregnancy shows epigenetic effects on offspring, influencing predispositions to illness and disease in childhood, adolescence, and even middle adulthood (Joubert et al., 2016; Tehranifar et al., 2018). There is no safe level of smoking during pregnancy. Even babies born to light smokers (one to five cigarettes per day) show higher rates of low birthweight than do babies born to nonsmokers (Berlin, Golmard, Jacob, Tanguy, & Heishman, 2017; Tong, England, Rockhill, & D’Angelo, 2017). Quitting smoking before or during pregnancy reduces the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Smoking cigarettes during pregnancy is associated with adverse consequences.

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