Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
The effects of prenatal secondhand smoke exposure on preterm birth and neonatal outcomes
Kristin B Ashford1, Ellen Hahn, Lynne Hall
1College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0232, USA. kristin.ashford@uky.edu
Objective:
To examine the relationship between prenatal secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, preterm birth and immediate neonatal outcomes by measuring maternal hair nicotine.
Design:
Cross-sectional, observational design.
Setting:
A metropolitan Kentucky birthing center.
Participants:
Two hundred and ten (210) mother-baby couplets.
Methods:
Nicotine in maternal hair was used as the biomarker for prenatal SHS exposure collected within 48 hours of birth. Smoking status was confirmed by urine cotinine analysis.
Results:
Smoking status (nonsmoking, passive smoking, and smoking) strongly correlated with low, medium, and high hair nicotine tertiles (ρ=.74; p<.001). Women exposed to prenatal SHS were more at risk for preterm birth (odds ratio [OR]=2.3; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] [.96, 5.96]), and their infants were more likely to have immediate newborn complications (OR=2.4; 95% CI [1.09, 5.33]) than nonexposed women. Infants of passive smoking mothers were at increased risk for respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (OR=4.9; 95% CI [1.45, 10.5]) and admission to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (OR=6.5; CI [1.29, 9.7]) when compared to infants of smoking mothers (OR=3.9; 95% CI [1.61, 14.9]; OR=3.5; 95% CI [2.09, 20.4], respectively). Passive smokers and/or women with hair nicotine levels greater than .35 ng/ml were more likely to deliver earlier (1 week), give birth to infants weighing less (decrease of 200-300 g), and deliver shorter infants (decrease of 1.1-1.7 cm).
Conclusions:
Prenatal SHS exposure places women at greater risk for preterm birth, and their newborns are more likely to have RDS, NICU admissions, and immediate newborn complications.
More Related Videos
07:36Modeling Encephalopathy of Prematurity Using Prenatal Hypoxia-ischemia with Intra-amniotic Lipopolysaccharide in Rats
Published on: November 20, 2015
05:13Preclinical Model of Prenatal Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Exposure to Assess Its Impact on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
Published on: February 28, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Teratogenicity
Development of the Oral Microbiota
Upper Respiratory Drugs: Antitussives, Expectorants, and Mucolytics
Antitussives include codeine, dextromethorphan (Robitussin), and benzonatate (Tessalon). Codeine and dextromethorphan exert their effects centrally by suppressing the cough reflex center in the medulla. Benzonatate operates peripherally within the respiratory tract by anesthetizing...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease II: Emphysema