Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health logoLink to Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
. 1994 Feb;48(1):36–40. doi: 10.1136/jech.48.1.36

Smoking and drinking habits before and during pregnancy in Spanish women.

F Bolumar 1, M Rebagliato 1, I Hernandez-Aguado 1, C D Florey 1
PMCID: PMC1059890  PMID: 8138766

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE--To investigate possible changes in smoking and drinking habits during pregnancy and to elucidate the sociodemographic factors associated with these changes in Spanish women. DESIGN--A cross-sectional survey. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING--A total of 1004 pregnant women of between 12 and 18 weeks of gestation who were attending the antenatal clinic of the main regional hospital of Valencia (Spain) during 1989 were studied. All participants completed the study and only one eligible woman refused to participate when approached. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--Information was obtained by structured questionnaire (Euromac questionnaire), which included items on age, educational level, marital status, occupation, parity, previous and present smoking habits, and previous and present alcohol consumption. Women were asked about the consumption of cigarettes and alcohol for a typical week before they knew they were pregnant, and details of current consumption were obtained for the week before the interview. The number of drinks taken per week was later converted to the amount of absolute alcohol (in g). Sixty per cent of the women smoked and 72% drank alcohol before pregnancy. Forty eight per cent of smokers stopped smoking and 37% of drinkers stopped drinking alcohol during pregnancy. No sociodemographic factor showed an independent association with either smoking or drinking cessation. Only the number of cigarettes and the amount of alcohol consumed before pregnancy were identified as significant independent predictors for stopping. CONCLUSIONS--Pregnant Spanish women seemed to stop smoking at about three times the rate found in Spanish women in the reproductive years. The sociodemographic variables usually associated with stopping smoking could not account for the high rate of quitting in these Spanish women, a rate higher than that in women from other developed countries. The high prevalence of smoking before pregnancy might explain not only the high rate of stopping smoking but also the absence of a well defined profile of "quitters". In our study, high levels of alcohol consumption were limited to a small group of pregnant women, and preventive efforts should be focused on this group.

Full text

PDF
36

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bonati M., Fellin G. Changes in smoking and drinking behaviour before and during pregnancy in Italian mothers: implications for public health intervention. ICGDUP (Italian Collaborative Group on Drug Use in Pregnancy). Int J Epidemiol. 1991 Dec;20(4):927–932. doi: 10.1093/ije/20.4.927. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brooke O. G., Anderson H. R., Bland J. M., Peacock J. L., Stewart C. M. Effects on birth weight of smoking, alcohol, caffeine, socioeconomic factors, and psychosocial stress. BMJ. 1989 Mar 25;298(6676):795–801. doi: 10.1136/bmj.298.6676.795. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cnattingius S., Haglund B., Meirik O. Cigarette smoking as risk factor for late fetal and early neonatal death. BMJ. 1988 Jul 23;297(6643):258–261. doi: 10.1136/bmj.297.6643.258. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cnattingius S., Lindmark G., Meirik O. Who continues to smoke while pregnant? J Epidemiol Community Health. 1992 Jun;46(3):218–221. doi: 10.1136/jech.46.3.218. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fingerhut L. A., Kleinman J. C., Kendrick J. S. Smoking before, during, and after pregnancy. Am J Public Health. 1990 May;80(5):541–544. doi: 10.2105/ajph.80.5.541. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. García A., Hernández I., Alvarez-Dardet C. El abandono del hábito tabáquico en España. Med Clin (Barc) 1991 Jun 29;97(5):161–165. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Haglund B., Cnattingius S. Cigarette smoking as a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome: a population-based study. Am J Public Health. 1990 Jan;80(1):29–32. doi: 10.2105/ajph.80.1.29. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hebel J. R., Fox N. L., Sexton M. Dose-response of birth weight to various measures of maternal smoking during pregnancy. J Clin Epidemiol. 1988;41(5):483–489. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(88)90050-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kleinman J. C., Kopstein A. Smoking during pregnancy, 1967-80. Am J Public Health. 1987 Jul;77(7):823–825. doi: 10.2105/ajph.77.7.823. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kleinman J. C., Madans J. H. The effects of maternal smoking, physical stature, and educational attainment on the incidence of low birth weight. Am J Epidemiol. 1985 Jun;121(6):843–855. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114055. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kleinman J. C., Pierre M. B., Jr, Madans J. H., Land G. H., Schramm W. F. The effects of maternal smoking on fetal and infant mortality. Am J Epidemiol. 1988 Feb;127(2):274–282. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114803. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kline J., Shrout P., Stein Z., Susser M., Warburton D. Drinking during pregnancy and spontaneous abortion. Lancet. 1980 Jul 26;2(8187):176–180. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(80)90062-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kline J., Stein Z., Hutzler M. Cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana: varying associations with birthweight. Int J Epidemiol. 1987 Mar;16(1):44–51. doi: 10.1093/ije/16.1.44. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Little R. E., Asker R. L., Sampson P. D., Renwick J. H. Fetal growth and moderate drinking in early pregnancy. Am J Epidemiol. 1986 Feb;123(2):270–278. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114235. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Olsen J., Pereira A. da C., Olsen S. F. Does maternal tobacco smoking modify the effect of alcohol on fetal growth? Am J Public Health. 1991 Jan;81(1):69–73. doi: 10.2105/ajph.81.1.69. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ouellette E. M., Rosett H. L., Rosman N. P., Weiner L. Adverse effects on offspring of maternal alcohol abuse during pregnancy. N Engl J Med. 1977 Sep 8;297(10):528–530. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197709082971003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Parazzini F., Bocciolone L., La Vecchia C., Negri E., Fedele L. Maternal and paternal moderate daily alcohol consumption and unexplained miscarriages. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1990 Jul;97(7):618–622. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1990.tb02550.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pierce J. P., Fiore M. C., Novotny T. E., Hatziandreu E. J., Davis R. M. Trends in cigarette smoking in the United States. Educational differences are increasing. JAMA. 1989 Jan 6;261(1):56–60. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Pierce J. P. Progress and problems in international public health efforts to reduce tobacco usage. Annu Rev Public Health. 1991;12:383–400. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pu.12.050191.002123. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Prager K., Malin H., Spiegler D., Van Natta P., Placek P. J. Smoking and drinking behavior before and during pregnancy of married mothers of live-born infants and stillborn infants. Public Health Rep. 1984 Mar-Apr;99(2):117–127. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Rostand A., Kaminski M., Lelong N., Dehaene P., Delestret I., Klein-Bertrand C., Querleu D., Crepin G. Alcohol use in pregnancy, craniofacial features, and fetal growth. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1990 Dec;44(4):302–306. doi: 10.1136/jech.44.4.302. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sulaiman N. D., Florey C. D., Taylor D. J., Ogston S. A. Alcohol consumption in Dundee primigravidas and its effects on outcome of pregnancy. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1988 May 28;296(6635):1500–1503. doi: 10.1136/bmj.296.6635.1500. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Walpole I., Zubrick S., Pontré J. Is there a fetal effect with low to moderate alcohol use before or during pregnancy? J Epidemiol Community Health. 1990 Dec;44(4):297–301. doi: 10.1136/jech.44.4.297. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES