Description of tobacco addiction in pregnant women

To compare the characteristics of a group of pregnant women who smoked until delivery with women who gave up smoking during pregnancy.

Questionnaire-based, descriptive study of 979 pregnant women in four regions of France. The variables analysed included the characteristics of the mother and neonate at delivery, the smoking habits of the mother before and during pregnancy, the perception of risk linked to smoking, and the reasons for giving up smoking.

Eighteen percent of women smoked until delivery. Fifty-five percent of women gave up smoking during pregnancy, usually in the first trimester. Women who failed to give up smoking were more disadvantaged psychosocially and were more likely to live alone. There was a higher level of dependency among women who failed to give up smoking and a lower perception of risk to the foetus. Among the women who had tried to reduce their tobacco consumption without success, 6% stated that they had been motivated by medical information compared to 28% of women who succeeded in stopping smoking.

Despite the risks associated with smoking the number of pregnant women who smoke until delivery remains high. Knowledge of the psychosocial profile and degree of dependency of these patients is an important step to managing this problem.