14 DAY TRIAL // An almost unbelievably large number of women continue to smoke during pregnancy despite the fact that authorities issue warning after warning on the dangers of such actions. Previous studies have revealed genes may have something to do with some women’s inability to quit smoking, but new research comes now to offer them yet another reason to try and kick the addiction.
Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to behavioral problems in children, a new study cited by WebMD shows. This comes as yet another instance of the mounting evidence that unborn babies exposed to the harmful substances in tobacco smoke are affected by them, even if later in life. A previous related study, for instance, revealed that second-hand smoking by mothers led to weight problems in children.
“Researchers from the United Kingdom and Brazil, using data on 509 Brazilian and 6,735 British families, say there is reason to believe that mothers who smoke may expose their fetuses to harmful substances that may affect the behavior and conduct of children in later years. ‘There was some evidence that maternal smoking in pregnancy is associated with greater conduct / externalizing problems [aggressive behavior, rule-breaking behavior] in the offspring at the age of 4,’ the authors write,” informs the aforementioned medical publication.
“Among other conclusions: Prenatal smoking by pregnant women may have specific effects on fetal development. Maternal smoking seems to be more strongly associated with child problems than is paternal smoking. No association was found between maternal smoking and childhood development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” WebMD also says. The behavioral problems that children may have later in life include being prone to lying, cheating and bullying, as well as rule-breaking behavior.
In May last year, Dr. Rachel Freathy of the Peninsula Medical School, strongly advised all pregnant women to use all resources made available to them to try and fight the addiction. Also then, he said he’d found pregnant women may have more difficulty in quitting because of an “addictive” gene – but that’s not to say impossible.