Pregnant Teens Smoking To Have Smaller Babies
- 8 years ago
During the course of a study on smoking in Australia, some teen girls have been found to smoke during pregnancy for an unexpected reason.
Some teen girls in Australia have been found to smoke during pregnancy for an unexpected reason, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Associate Professor Simone Dennis with the Australian National University notes that as part of an anthropological study on smoking, she became aware of “pregnant 16 year old girls who were smoking to reduce the birthweight of their baby.”
She explains, “The worst thing that could happen to them was to have an enormous baby. They had read on packets that smoking can reduce the birth weight of your baby, which is obviously not how the public health message is intended to be taken.”
Some of the pregnant women increased their existing habit, while others deliberately began smoking after conceiving the child, notes The Independent.
Other studies involving mothers in Australia have shown those who smoke during their pregnancies have babies that weigh seven ounces less on average than their counterparts who do not, reports the New Zealand Herald.
Babies exposed to tobacco in the womb are at risk for premature birth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and birth defects, among other problems.
Some teen girls in Australia have been found to smoke during pregnancy for an unexpected reason, according to the New Zealand Herald.
Associate Professor Simone Dennis with the Australian National University notes that as part of an anthropological study on smoking, she became aware of “pregnant 16 year old girls who were smoking to reduce the birthweight of their baby.”
She explains, “The worst thing that could happen to them was to have an enormous baby. They had read on packets that smoking can reduce the birth weight of your baby, which is obviously not how the public health message is intended to be taken.”
Some of the pregnant women increased their existing habit, while others deliberately began smoking after conceiving the child, notes The Independent.
Other studies involving mothers in Australia have shown those who smoke during their pregnancies have babies that weigh seven ounces less on average than their counterparts who do not, reports the New Zealand Herald.
Babies exposed to tobacco in the womb are at risk for premature birth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and birth defects, among other problems.