Epidemiological studies on Polish women and tobacco smoking behaviour during their reproductive years and pregnancy in relation the Developmental Origin of Health and Diseases hypothesis

Tobacco smoking in women during pre-conception and pregnancy is known to negatively affect the health of the newborn as well as its susceptibility to disease. Studies on the effects of smoking were undertaken in Poland 2011, on over 4000 women during their reproductive age to investigate this problem further. The results of a country wide survey on a randomised, similarly sized group of youngsters/young adults aged 14-24 years concerning healthy lifestyle behaviour, (involving smoking habits), was also included. Furthermore, using the Pregnancy-related Assessment Monitoring Survey, (PRAMS), format a randomised group of n=3000 post-partum women and their newborns were assessed representing all obstetric hospital departments throughout Poland. A significantly reduced infant body mass was found when mothers smoked during pregnancy whilst smoking cessation had a positive increase on infant body mass whenever it occurred during this time. Smoking also caused 2% more premature births, a worse general condition of the newborn according to APGAR rating and a more frequent delivery by caesarean section. Women smokers also more frequently miscarried. These studies confirmed that smoking has an important effect on birth outcomes and support the hypothesis that smoking influences newborn weight and through this the susceptibility to the so-called diseases of civilisation in later life.