Smoking among mothers of a Pacific Island birth cohort in New Zealand: associated factors.

AIMS

The present study investigated (among mothers of a Pacific Island birth cohort) the rates of smoking before, during, and after pregnancy as well as factors predictive of smoking during pregnancy.

METHODS

Data were gathered as part of the Pacific Islands Families (PIF) Study. In this study, mothers of a cohort of 1398 Pacific infants born in Middlemore Hospital, Auckland during 2000 were interviewed when their infants were 6 weeks old. Mothers were questioned about their maternal health, and lifestyle behaviours such as cigarette smoking. Additional data were obtained from hospital records. Analyses focused on 1365 biological mothers.

RESULTS

Overall, 339 (approximately one-quarter) of the mothers reported smoking during pregnancy. 331 (76.1%) of the 435 smokers (before pregnancy) continued to smoke during pregnancy, and eight mothers commenced smoking once pregnant. Smoking rates for each trimester were 23.7% in the first, 21.0% in the second, and 20.4% in the third trimester of pregnancy, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that smoking was significantly associated with several factors, including indicators of disadvantage and degree of westernisation.

CONCLUSIONS

Greater efforts are needed to reduce smoking during pregnancy among Pacific women. Findings can be used to inform public health policy and smoking cessation programmes for Pacific families.