An English study shows that 43% of women who quit smoking during their pregnancy resume smoking within six months of giving birth.
Pregnancy is not the ultimate weapon in long-term smoking cessation. British study from the universities of Nottingham and York shows that 43% of women who had not smoked a single cigarette during pregnancy had resumed smoking within six months of giving birth.
“Smoking during pregnancy represents a major public health issue, and an estimated economic weight of 23.5 million pounds (Editor’s note: 30 million euros) in the United Kingdom, and 110 million dollars (99 million euros) euros) in the United States, ”says Dr. Matthew Jones, lead author of the study. “Our report reveals a gap between the need for prevention among pregnant women and what health services are currently offering. “
6% of women take the opportunity to quit
This disappointing statistic is accompanied by an alarming figure revealed by the study. According to the researchers, 87% of women would never have completely stopped smoking when giving birth. In total, by adding them to those who have stopped their consumption temporarily, 94% of women who smoke before their pregnancy are still addicted six months after giving birth!
“Most smokers fail to quit during pregnancy, and among those who do, most resume within six months of childbirth,” summarize the authors of the study. “This suggests that the large sums of money allocated to smoking cessation programs benefit very few women and children.”
More than one in six pregnant French people smoke
An important point to be clarified, however: this study published in the newspaper Addiction – a meta-analysis on data from numerous surveys – is based on programs to help with smoking cessation during pregnancy. We can then assume that the women concerned, having used these programs, are more affected by addiction than the average.
In France, according to the results of the 2014 INPES Health Barometer, 17.8% of pregnant women still smoke in the last trimester of their pregnancy. This is the highest rate in Europe.
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