Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the effect of maternal smoking on anthropometric measurements (body weight, height, head circumference, and chest circumference) of newborns and their postnatal growth, with the aim of obtaining fundamental data for future considerations on maternal and child health.
Methods: A database containing the results of health checkups for four-month-old infants in A City was analyzed by removing personal information.
Results: A total of 3,494 infants were analyzed. The rate of maternal smoking during pregnancy was 2.9%, while that of paternal smoking was 34.9%. Maternal smoking during pregnancy affected all anthropometric measurements of infants at birth: newborns of smoking mothers were significantly lighter (P=0.013) and shorter (P<0.001) and had a significantly smaller head circumference (P=0.004) and a significantly smaller chest circumference (P=0.045) than those of non-smoking mothers. Differences in newborn size without chest circumference between the two groups remained significant after adjusting for factors influencing the above measurements. Maternal smoking during pregnancy affected height and head circumference measured at the four-month-old checkup: infants of smoking mothers were significantly shorter (P=0.004) and had a significantly smaller head circumference (P=0.023). Differences in infant size between the two groups remained significant after adjusting for factors influencing the above measurements.
Conclusion: Maternal smoking during pregnancy affects body weight, height, head circumference, and chest circumference of newborns, as well as height and head circumference of infants at four months old. These results demonstrate the necessity for stronger guidance on smoking cessation during pregnancy.
