Implications

Smoking during and after pregnancy contributes to adverse outcomes for babies as well as mothers. Smoking during pregnancy can lead to premature birth, low birth weights, some birth defects and infant death.⁴ The toxins in cigarette smoke pass through the bloodstream, depriving fetuses of oxygen and nutrients, which can have devastating effects on a baby’s growth and development, including delayed lung development, heart defects, and impacts to brain function.⁵ Smoking during and after pregnancy also increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.⁴ While Canadian data indicate that the rates of smoking during pregnancy have been declining in the general population, the higher rates of smoking among pregnant Indigenous women, and the increasing rates of smoking noted among pregnant Inuit and First Nations women in particular, indicates that additional smoking cessation interventions are necessary among Indigenous populations. In addition, since the high prevalence of smoking is influenced by social determinants of health, including education, income, social support networks and culture, the socio-economic and cultural challenges to smoking cessation need to be addressed with culturally appropriate interventions.

⁴Campbell, E. (2010). Addressing smoking cessation among pregnant Aboriginal women: Challenges and gaps in knowledge. Unpublished Masters of Public Health project, Simon Fraser University.
⁵Babycenter. (2017). How smoking during pregnancy affects you and your baby. https://www.babycenter.com/0_how-smoking-during-pregnancy-affects-you-and-your-baby_1405720.bc -accessed October 7, 2017.