Smoking during Pregnancy
Indicator #2 : Smoking during Pregnancy
Indicator 2 : Percentage of women who smoked during pregnancy.
Jump to Figure Notes and Sources
Key Messages
- Smoking during pregnancy has negative effects on child health and development that are well-established. Some of these effects include reduced fetal growth, increased risk of asthma, increased risk of infant mortality, and a higher incidence of sudden infant death syndrome.1,2 Additionally, exposure of non-smoking pregnant women to second-hand smoke has been shown to have negative effects, including increased risk of low birth weight.1
- Surveillance data show that in BC, younger pregnant women smoke more than older pregnant women.3
- Data currently available do not allow for analyses of mothers who smoke e-cigarettes.
- As shown in Figure 2.1, the percentage of new mothers who report smoking during pregnancy decreased from 2000/01 to 2014/15, which is a positive change. This percentage includes mothers who reported smoking at any time during the current pregnancy, even if they quit during the pregnancy.b,4
- Figures 2.2 and 2.3 show that there is a considerable range in the percentage of smoking during pregnancy based on geography, from 1.7 per cent in Vancouver Coastal Health to 15.0 per cent in Northern Health, and similar variations by health service delivery area.
b.The percentage is likely underreported due to societal stigma related to smoking during pregnancy. Approximately 50 per cent of mothers have incomplete information for this variable.
Figure Notes and Sources
Figure 2.1
Notes: "Mothers" means women who have given birth in the fiscal year. Data includes all births (live births and stillbirths) that occurred in BC in hospital or at home with a registered midwife. It excludes late pregnancy terminations. "Reported smoking during pregnancy" means mothers who reported smoking at any time during the current pregnancy, even if they quit during the pregnancy. Never smokers, former smokers, and patients with unknown smoking status are considered non-smokers for the purposes of this analysis. Data do not account for second-hand smoke exposure or e-cigarette use.
Data source: Perinatal Services BC. British Columbia Perinatal Data Registry [years provided: 2000/01 to 2014/15; resource type: tabulated data]; data provided 2016 Mar 30. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.
Figure 2.2
Notes: "Mothers" means women who have given birth in the fiscal year. Data includes all births (live births and stillbirths) that occurred in BC in hospital or at home with a registered midwife. It excludes late pregnancy terminations. "Reported smoking during pregnancy" means mothers who reported smoking at any time during the current pregnancy, even if they quit during the pregnancy. Never smokers, former smokers, and patients with unknown smoking status are considered non-smokers for the purposes of this analysis. Data do not account for second-hand smoke exposure or e-cigarette use. Health authority is based on the residence of the mother.
Data source: Perinatal Services BC. British Columbia Perinatal Data Registry [years provided: 2014/15; resource type: tabulated data]; data provided 2016 Mar 30. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.
Figure 2.3
Notes: "Mothers" means women who have given birth in the fiscal year. Data includes all births (live births and stillbirths) that occurred in BC in hospital or at home with a registered midwife. It excludes late pregnancy terminations. "Reported smoking during pregnancy" means mothers who reported smoking at any time during the current pregnancy, even if they quit during the pregnancy. Never smokers, former smokers, and patients with unknown smoking status are considered non-smokers for the purposes of this analysis. Data do not account for second-hand smoke exposure or e-cigarette use. Health service delivery area is based on the residence of the mother.
Data source: Perinatal Services BC. British Columbia Perinatal Data Registry [years provided: 2014/15; resource type: tabulated data]; data provided 2016 Mar 30. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.
References
- Rogers JM. Tobacco and pregnancy. Reprod Toxicol. 2009 Sep;28(2):152-60.
- Public Health Agency of Canada. What mothers say: the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey. Ottawa, ON: Public Health Agency of Canada; 2009 [modified 2014 Jan 15]. Available from: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/rhs-ssg/survey-eng.php.
- Perinatal Services BC. Perinatal health report– deliveries in British Columbia, 2014/15. Vancouver, BC: Perinatal Services BC; 2016 Jun [cited 2016 Jul 04]. Available from: http://www.perinatalservicesbc.ca/health-professionals/data-surveillanc….
- Frosst G, Hutcheon J, Joseph KS, Kinniburgh B, Johnson C, Lee, L. Validating the British Columbia Perinatal Data Registry: a chart re-abstraction study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015;15:123.