Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 25, 2025

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Maternal smoking during pregnancy and poor academic performance in adolescent offspring: A registry data-based cohort
Getinet Ayano1, Kim Betts2, Berihun Assefa Dachew2
1School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Indigenous Studies, the University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Background:
Previous studies have suggested associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) and a range of adverse outcomes in offspring. However, evidence reporting adverse effects on poor academic performance in adolescence is scant.
Methods:
This register-based cohort study used linked data obtained from New South Wales (NSW) educational and health registries in Australia. MSDP was assessed using self-reports of smoking during pregnancy. Offspring's educational performance was assessed using the National Assessment Program for Literacy and numeracy (NAPLAN), when students were in grade 9 and approximately aged 14 years. We used multivariable logistic regression models to explore associations.
Results:
Adolescent offspring exposed to MSDP were at an increased risk of substandard academic performance in all domains, with the highest odds for spelling [OR, 3.12 (95%CI 2.98-3.26)] followed by writing [OR, 2.97 (95%CI 2.84-3.11)], reading [OR, 2.49 (95%CI 2.37-2.62)], and numeracy [OR, 2.43 (95%CI 2.30-2.58)]. In our sex-stratified analysis, MSDP displayed stronger effects on the academic performance of female offspring in all domains.
Conclusions:
Our findings showed that MSDP was associated with an increased risk of reduced academic performance in adolescent offspring. The different effects of MSDP on the academic performance of male and female offspring is a new finding, which needs further investigation.
Related Concept Videos
Statistical Methods for Analyzing Epidemiological Data
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
Observational Studies
There are three types of observational studies – Prospective, retrospective, and cross-sectional.
Prospective Study
Prospective studies, also known as longitudinal or cohort studies, are carried out by collecting future data from groups sharing similar characteristics. One...

