Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Offspring Birth Weight: A Genetically-Informed Approach Comparing Multiple Raters

Maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with both reduced birth weight and adverse neurobehavioral outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate longitudinal associations between maternal smoking during pregnancy and childhood behavioral outcomes, and to determine the role of birth weight in mediating such associations. The study included 489 mother–child pairs. Prenatal exposures were assessed via maternal interviews conducted on average 1 year after delivery and child behavior assessments were completed at 5–12 years of age using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Teacher Report Form (TRF). Maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with externalizing and total behavior problems according to both mother and teacher report. Maternal smoking was also associated with the following percentage increases in scores: 41% (CBCL) and 44% (TRF) for aggressive behavior and 65% (CBCL) and 47% (TRF) for attention problems. Associations with behavior problems were attenuated or no longer observed for mothers that quit smoking in early pregnancy. The proportion of the total effect of maternal smoking on behavioral outcomes explained by differences in birth weight was small and ranged from 6.6% for externalizing behavior on the CBCL to 20.1% for rule-breaking behavior on the CBCL. Our results suggest that birth weight differences explain only a small proportion of the magnitude of association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and selected behavioral outcomes.

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Etiology of individual differences in birth weight of twins as a function of maternal smoking during pregnancy

Twin Research ◽

10.1375/twin.1.3.123 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 1 (3) ◽

pp. 123-130 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Caroline GM van Baal ◽

Dorret I Boomsma

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Maternal Smoking ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Smoking During Pregnancy ◽

Intrauterine Growth ◽

Equation Modelling ◽

Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy ◽

Lower Variability ◽

Genetic And Environmental Factors

AbstractBirth weight is in large extent influenced by gestational age. In addition genetic and environmental factors determine intrauterine growth and birth weight. The contributions of these factors may be influenced by maternal smoking during pregnancy. We examined birth weight and maternal smoking in a sample of 2930 twin pairs from the Netherlands Twin Register using structural equation modelling. Gestational age accounted for 27–44% of the variance in birth weight. A lower variability of birth weight and a lower association of birth weight with gestational age was found in twins whose mothers smoked during pregnancy. The variance not associated with gestational age was independent of maternal smoking during pregnancy. A systematic smaller part of the variability in birth weight was associated with variability in gestational age in second born twins compared to first born twins. The heritability of interindividual differences in birth weight was modest (10% for twins with non-smoking mothers and 11% for twins with smoking mothers). Common environmental influences other than gestational age accounted for a slightly larger part of the variance not associated with gestational age (17–20%).

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Maternal smoking and congenital malformations

Fetal and Maternal Medicine Review ◽

10.1017/s0965539502000141 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 63-86 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Karin Källén

Keyword(s):

Birth Weight ◽

Low Birth Weight ◽

Premature Birth ◽

Maternal Smoking ◽

Congenital Malformations ◽

Perinatal Outcome ◽

Neonatal Death ◽

Smoking During Pregnancy ◽

Small Head ◽

Maternal Smoking During Pregnancy

Since the first report by Simpson (1957) of the association between premature birth and maternal smoking, the research on the consequences of maternal smoking during pregnancy on perinatal outcome has been intense. Even if some of the findings have been contradictory, it is now evident that maternal smoking is associated with pre-term birth and low birth weight, low birth weight for gestational age, small head circumference, low Apgar score at 5 min, stillbirth and neonatal death.

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