Dangers of smoking while pregnant need
to be emphasized by health care providers
The Daily Telegram
Last Updated: Friday, November 15th, 2002 10:57:46 AM

It's bad enough that many pregnant women in Wisconsin would risk the health of their newborns by smoking. But a recent survey raises troubling questions about whether doctors and other health care providers are doing enough to get these women to stop.

A survey released this week by the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention at the University of Wisconsin Medical School offers some chilling numbers: 48 percent of women smokers said they continued to smoke after learning they were pregnant, and that's hardly improved since the 1960s when the number was 52 percent. The 2000-2001 survey found that 31 percent said they were able to stop for at least a week, compared with 10 percent who quit at least that long during the 1960s. While there's been some improvement over the years, the problem is continued smoking - pregnancies last much longer than a week or so.

This is a major health issue that requires an active role from doctors. Instead, the center's research found that 88 percent of doctors and other health providers asked pregnant patients about smoking, and 78 that percent advised their patients to quit. That begs the question, why aren't the other doctors raising the issue? And why did only 78 percent urge these pregnant smokers to quit? Not pushing the issue is irresponsible and failing the patients and their unborn babies.

Smoking during pregnancy is serious because it raises the risk of premature birth, sudden infant death syndrome and lower birth rate, and also causes a higher rate of infant deaths. Yet the survey of state residents showed that only 20 percent of pregnant smokers over the past 10 years were encouraged to set a date for quitting; and only one in 10 were offered referral to smoking-cessation programs.

To be fair, it's likely that many doctors do talk to pregnant smokers about the risks. And it probably doesn't take a lot of face-to-face office time to emphasize the need to quit and to offer suggestions on how to get help. Because people generally look up to their doctors, doctors can influence their patients if they take the time. Education ought to be an essential part of care for the mother and child, whether it concerns nutrition or dangerous behavior such as drinking and smoking.

According to Dr. Michael Fiore, director of the center, "The health effects for both the woman and her baby are extraordinary. We know that benefits begin literally the day of quitting."