Maternal Smoking and Infant Health

Epidemiological studies indicate that smoking is responsible for a 150 to 250 gram reduction in birth rate and that smoking mothers are about twice as likely to have low-birth-weight babies (under 250 grams). Birth-weight is a is a measure of the baby’s maturity. Another measure of maturity is gestational age at birth (i.e. the time spent in the womb). Typically, smaller babies and babies born early have lower survival rates than larger babies who are born at term. For example, in the CHDS group, the rate at which babies died within the first 28 days after birth was 150 per thousand for infants weighing under 2500 mg and 5 per thousand for babies weighing over 2500 grams