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Tobacco smoking during pregnancy and risk of adverse behaviour in offspring: A follow-up study
Dorte Wiwe Dürr1, Birgit Bjerre Høyer1, Line Høgenhof Christensen1
1Danish Ramazzini Center, Department of Occupational Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Nørrebrogade 44, build.2c, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Insights
Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoking did not show a significant association with adverse childhood behavior. However, the possibility of an increased risk for some behavioral issues cannot be entirely ruled out.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Child Development
- Environmental Health
Background:
- Prenatal exposure to environmental toxins, including tobacco smoke, is a growing public health concern.
- Understanding the long-term behavioral impacts on offspring is crucial for early intervention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and adverse behavioral outcomes in children.
- To assess behavioral development using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1016 pregnant women from Greenland and Ukraine were included.
- Serum cotinine levels identified smoking status during pregnancy.
- Child behavior was assessed using the SDQ by parents when children were aged 5-9 years.
Main Results:
- Overall, prenatal smoking was not linked to a higher probability of adverse behavior based on total SDQ scores.
- Crude analysis indicated a higher mean difference in SDQ scores in Greenland (1.31 points) but not Ukraine (0.18 points).
- Adjusted analyses showed statistically non-significant differences in behavioral outcomes.
Conclusions:
- In utero exposure to tobacco smoking was not definitively associated with a significantly higher risk of adverse offspring behavior.
- An elevated risk for certain adverse behaviors among children exposed to smoking in utero cannot be excluded.
- Further research may be needed to clarify subtle behavioral effects.
Objectives:
This study examines associations between prenatal exposure to tobacco smoking and adverse behaviour in the offspring.
Methods:
We included 1016 pregnant women from Greenland and Ukraine (526 from Greenland and 490 from Ukraine). Serum cotinine measurements were used to identify smoking pregnant women. When the children were from five to nine years of age, the parents assessed the child's behaviour using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
Results:
Overall, smoking in pregnancy was not associated with a higher probability of adverse behaviour assessed by the total SDQ score. However, in the crude analysis smoking was associated with a higher mean difference of SDQ-total score. In Greenland the SDQ-total mean difference (MD) was (MD (95% CI)=1.31 points (0.42; 2.19)) and in Ukraine (MD (95% CI)=0.18 points (-1.2; 0.91)), whereas the adjusted mean differences were statistically non-significant.
Conclusions:
In utero exposure to tobacco smoking was not associated with a significant higher risk of adverse behaviour in the offspring, but elevated risk of adverse behaviour among children prenatally exposed to smoking cannot be excluded.
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