[Relationship between maternal cigarette smoking and newborn birth weight and physical condition]

Current literature presents the argument whether decrease of birth weight of newborns delivered by women smoking during pregnancy results from tobacco smoking or from lower standard of living of smoking women. Therefore research was undertaken to analyse birth weight and general condition of newborns in groups of women smoking and non-smoking during pregnancy representing comparable social-living status in the examined groups and at comparable gestation age at labour. The study was performed with the method of diagnostic survey using questionnaire technique and analysis of medical records. General condition of newborns was determined by means of Apgar score in the fifth minute after birth. In the group of women smoking during pregnancy mean birth weight of newborns and mean Apgar score value of general health condition of newborns in the fifth minute after birth were smaller than those found in the group of non-smoking women. The study has shown that cigarette smoking by women during pregnancy is associated with a decrease of birth weight and worse general condition of newborns right after delivery. Studies indicate a cause-effect relationship between cigarette smoking by women during pregnancy and newborns condition.