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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Maternal active smoking and newborn body composition.
M P Samper1, A Jiménez-Muro, I Nerín
1Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, Spain.
Early Human Development
|August 9, 2011
Summary
Maternal smoking during pregnancy reduces newborn size and affects body composition, with lean body mass appearing more impacted than fat. This highlights smoking as a significant factor in fetal growth impairment.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal anthropometry
- Maternal-fetal medicine
- Public health
Background:
- Maternal smoking during pregnancy is a known risk factor for reduced birth size.
- Limited research has comprehensively assessed changes in neonatal anthropometry due to maternal smoking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate differences in neonatal anthropometry and body composition between newborns of smoking and non-smoking mothers.
- To determine if these anthropometric differences impact the proportional distribution of body mass.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1216 Caucasian mothers and their full-term singleton newborns were studied.
- Mothers were categorized based on smoking habits during pregnancy (non-smoking vs. smoking).
- Data collected included obstetric, demographic, and tobacco consumption information.
Main Results:
- Infants born to smoking mothers were significantly smaller, shorter, and had smaller body circumferences compared to non-smokers (p<0.001).
- Newborns of smoking mothers exhibited lower skinfold thicknesses, indicating reduced subcutaneous fat.
- While overall birth weight was affected, the Ponderal Index and subcutaneous fat distribution showed no significant differences between groups.
Conclusions:
- Maternal smoking leads to generalized fetal growth impairment, affecting most anthropometric parameters.
- Neonatal lean body mass appears to be disproportionately affected compared to body fat in infants of smoking mothers.
- Smoking during gestation is a primary determinant of birth weight, second only to gestational age.
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