A NEW REPORT released by the Economic and Research Institute (ESRI) shows that there may be a link between childhood behavioural problems and maternal smoking during pregnancy.

The research, conducted by Dr Cathal McCrory (TCD) and Professor Richard Layte (ESRI), is based on data from Growing Up in Ireland – the National Longitudinal Study of Children.

The research revealed that children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were 1.4 times more likely to be defined as having a behavioural problem by their teacher than children of mothers who did not smoke.

It showed that the probability of the child being defined as having a behavioural problem increased with maternal smoking. Children whose mothers were occasional smokers were 32 per cent more likely than non-smokers to display behavioural problems.

Meanwhile, children whose mothers were heavy smokers (11+ cigarettes a day in pregnancy) were 78 per cent more likely to be defined as having a behavioural problem than the children of non-smokers.

Methodological approach

The ESRI noted:

Since smoking in pregnancy is strongly associated with low income and deprivation, which are themselves associated with higher levels of behavioural problems in children, this study used an innovative methodological approach to this problem so as to isolate the direct effect of smoking.

One of the report’s authors, Dr Cathal McCrory, said:

It has been known for some time that smoking during pregnancy is associated with premature birth and low birth-weight, but the results of this study show that the effects of smoking during pregnancy are long-lasting and can affect aspects of the child’s emotional and behavioural development in later life.

He said that these findings “reinforce the need for programs aimed at promoting successful cessation of smoking during what is a critical period for the developing infant”.

The proportion of mothers who smoke during pregnancy has fallen over time from 28 per cent  in the late 1990s to 17.6 per cent currently. Just over a quarter of women (28 per cent) who were smoking in early pregnancy stop at some point before birth.

The level of smoking in pregnancy in Ireland is higher than in Northern Europe but lower than in the UK.

Read: One fifth of pregnant women smoke or drink>