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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Katherine A. Skeen-Morris, BS, MPH, Prevention Research Center, University of Kentucky, Markey Cancer Center Room CC441, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, KY 40536-0093, 859-323-4734, kaskee0@email.uky.edu

Purpose: To determine the association between smoking during pregnancy and having a child with cleft lip/palate in Kentucky. Methods: Case-control study design using previously existing data from the Kentucky Birth Surveillance Registry. Data was extracted from 1998-2002 on all diagnoses of Cleft lip / palate (CLP) and Down syndrome (DS). Data extracted on the mothers included maternal smoking behavior, alcohol use, age, and county of residence. Data extracted on the infants included date of birth, birth weight, sex, defect, classification of defect, and outcome status (live or still birth). The cases were all mothers who gave birth to an infant diagnosed with CLP (n = 485) and the controls were mothers who gave birth to an infant diagnosed with DS (n = 311). Chi-Square tests for independence were performed and a binary logistic regression model was produced. Results: After controlling for maternal age, birth weight, region of residence, and alcohol use, smoking was significantly associated with having a child with CLP, yielding an odds ratio of 1.53. No interactions were found. In addition, maternal age and birth weight were associated with CLP, yielding odds ratios of .38 and 2.160, respectively. Maternal age remained statistically significant after division into quartiles. Conclusion: In analyses controlling for maternal age and birth weight, women who smoked during pregnancy were 53% more likely to have a child with CLP than women who did not smoke during pregnancy in Kentucky.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the need for smoking cessation methods to focus on the female population before and during pregnancy.
• Recognize the uses and limitations of registry data.
• Discuss the association between smoking and cleft lip and palate.

Keywords: Birth Defects, Smoking

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered