Cigarette smoking among pregnant women in Poland

Introduction: Smoking is an extremely dangerous habit for pregnant women because, in addition to the negative health effects on reproductive functions, it also has a negative impact on the developing foetus. Despite the increasing awareness among pregnant women of the negative effects of tobacco smoking on foetal development and the functioning of the child, only a quarter of women quit smoking while being pregnant.


Material and methods: Analyses of the population of pregnant women in Poland were carried out using survey questionnaires within the framework of the Polish Pregnancy-related Assessment Monitoring System (Pol-PrAMS).


Results: Over 18% of women smoked cigarettes during the last three months preceding pregnancy. The percentage of women who smoked at least one cigarette in the first months of pregnancy was 6.8%, while in the last trimester this figure was 7.7%. The percentage of women smoking after childbirth was 3.6%. In each successive year in which this study was conducted, the percentage of non-smoking women in the individual periods analysed was seen to rise. Each year, the highest percentages of women smoking cigarettes were those in the period before pregnancy.


Conclusions: It is necessary to conduct educational programs, aimed primarily at young women, to discourage them from smoking and to increase their awareness of the adverse effects of smoking during pregnancy.