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Prenatal tobacco exposure associations with physical health and neurodevelopment in the ABCD cohort

Marybel Robledo Gonzalez1, Kristina A Uban2, Susan F Tapert1

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego.

Health Psychology : Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association
|January 30, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) negatively impacts child health and neurodevelopment, even after accounting for sociodemographic factors. Supporting breastfeeding is crucial for mitigating these effects and promoting healthier child development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) is a significant public health concern with potential teratogenic effects.
  • Understanding the impact of PTE on child physical and neurodevelopmental outcomes is crucial for intervention strategies.
  • Sociodemographic factors and early postnatal health may influence the relationship between PTE and child outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the strength and reproducibility of PTE's teratogenic impact on child physical health and neurodevelopment.
  • To examine the role of sociodemographic and prenatal factors in PTE-associated outcomes.
  • To test if early postnatal health mediates the associations between PTE and childhood outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 8,803 children aged 9-10 years in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study.
  • Linear mixed-effect models used to assess PTE associations with birth and childhood physical health, cognitive performance, and brain structure.
  • Mediation analysis explored the role of birth health in the PTE-childhood outcome relationship.

Main Results:

  • PTE was reported by 12% of mothers; higher rates observed in those at risk for passive smoke exposure.
  • PTE was associated with shorter breastfeeding duration, being small for gestational age, lower birth weight, childhood obesity, and reduced cortical volume/surface area.
  • In high-parent education households, PTE correlated with lower cognitive performance, partially mediated by breastfeeding duration.

Conclusions:

  • PTE is linked to poorer birth health indicators and neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 9-10, independent of sociodemographic factors.
  • Interventions for smoking cessation during pregnancy are essential.
  • Incorporating support for breastfeeding is recommended to promote healthier child development.
Abstract

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