Smoking in pregnancy -- what does my patient know ?

A recent study by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Perinatal Mortality Research Unit at Tygerberg Hospital found that 39% of pregnant women smoked cigarettes.1 Smoking in pregnancy is clearly recognised in the literature as an important, dose-related, preventable risk factor for poor perinatal outcome.2 Aprevious MRC finding that 47% of South African coloured women smoke during pregnancy3 stands in sharp contrast to the prevalence in developed countries, for example 15.8% in the USA.4 In a developing country, where poverty in itself increases perinatal mortality and morbidity, this increase in cigarette smoking may have further negative effects on perinatal outcome, despite efforts to optimize antenatal care. It is, therefore, of concern that despite current knowledge of the harmful effects of smoking in pregnancy, such a large percentage of pregnant women at Tygerberg Hospital are smokers. We wondered to what extent pregnant patients at Tygerberg Hospital are aware of the harmful effects of cigarette smoking during pregnancy and after childbirth.