Lifecourse influences on maternal smoking before pregnancy and postpartum among women from ethnic minority groups

Studies using a lifecourse framework to examine women's smoking behaviour have focused on samples of predominantly white women. We examined the contributions of conventional lifecourse factors and women's domestic trajectories to smoking behaviour before pregnancy and postpartum among women from ethnic minority groups.

We analysed data from 2140 mothers from ethnic minority groups in the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Mothers reported their smoking habits (smoking >or=1 cigarette/day) before pregnancy, at 9 months, and 3 years postpartum, along with information used to characterise their social and domestic lifecourse trajectories.

In a mutually adjusted model, women were more likely to smoke before pregnancy if, when they were children, their father held a routine/manual occupation [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.67, 95% confidence interval 1.00-2.80] (compared with managerial/professional), they left education at age or=22), or they were currently in a routine/manual occupation (aOR 1.53, 0.84-2.76) (compared with managerial/professional). Women were also more likely to smoke before pregnancy if they were age 14-19 years at their first birth (aOR 1.92, 1.05-3.50) (compared with age >or=30) or a lone parent (aOR 3.39, 2.18-5.28) (compared with non-lone parents). Similar relationships were apparent for smoking at 9 months and 3 years postpartum.

Among women from ethnic minority groups, those on more disadvantaged social and domestic lifecourse trajectories were more likely to smoke before pregnancy and postpartum. These patterns are consistent with studies of predominantly white women, indicating the importance of disadvantage across the lifecourse in all ethnic groups.