Smoking in pregnancy: a survey from northern Italy

The prevalence of smoking in pregnancy was analyzed in a survey of women delivering between January and March 1989 in a large maternity clinic in Milan, Northern Italy. Out of the 528 women interviewed, 183 (35%) were current smokers before pregnancy and 99 stopped smoking during pregnancy. The probability of stopping smoking decreased with increasing age and was lower in less educated women, but these findings were not statistically significant. Considering persistent smokers only, the mean number of cigarettes per day fell from 13 before to 8 during pregnancy; this reduction was generally consistent in various subgroups of age and education. The reductions, however, are probably overestimated, since they are based on the women's reports only. Thus, there still appears to be ample scope for intervention on smoking in pregnancy, particularly in older and less educated women.