Smoking While Pregnant: A Detrimental Impact on Child's Education

Smoking damages nearly every part of your body, and if you smoke during pregnancy, the harmful chemicals in tobacco can also affect your unborn baby. New research suggests this exposure may lead to lower academic performance in school. 79% of the studies reported decreased academic achievement in children who were exposed to maternal prenatal smoking ().

An additional meta-analysis of eight primary studies with 723,877 participants showed that children exposed to maternal prenatal tobacco smoking were 49% more likely to struggle with poor academic achievement in comparison to those who had not been exposed to smoking in utero.

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‘Why do children exposed to prenatal #smoking often struggle in school? Learn about the surprising connection between #maternalsmoking and #academic performance. #pregnancy #childdevelopment’

In Australia, 8.7% (or 26,433) of all mothers who gave birth in 2021 smoked at some time during their pregnancy.

Lead researcher, UniSA’s Dr Bereket Duko, says that despite what is already known about smoking, research is still uncovering additional negative effects.

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“For decades, agencies across the globe have pushed anti-smoking campaigns about the dangers of smoking. But despite these efforts, tobacco smoking remains a pervasive global public health issue,” Dr Bereket says.

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“Prenatal smoking is known to cause multiple pregnancy complications, including a higher risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, restricted growth and development, and serious birth defects. It is also linked with adverse mental health outcomes and behavioural issues."

“We all want children to have the best start in life. But clearly, we must do better to educate mothers and families about the noxious effects of smoking while pregnant on mother and baby."

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“Remember, the fight against smoking is not one we have already won. Yes, we have made big steps to reduce the number of people smoking, and we have made many aware of the health risks. But this is an ongoing battle, and we must continue to educate people about the dangers of tobacco so that the next generations do not unnecessarily suffer.”

Reference:

The effect of maternal prenatal tobacco smoking on offspring academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis - (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460324000340?via%3Dihub)

Source-Eurekalert

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