Daily HealthBeat Tip - September 04, 2008

No Smoking: Baby Zone

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Smoking is dangerous for people, including women who have a child, or who are expecting one. But a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says almost one quarter of women ages 18 to 44 years smoke.

Researcher Shanta Dube says things are improving a bit. From 1996 to 2006, the percentage of women in these childbearing years who smoke dropped.

Smokers have a higher risk of heart disease and cancer, and their children face secondhand smoke, which could raise their risk of breathing problems and sudden infant death syndrome.

Dube says women who smoke while pregnant:

``Increase the risk to their unborn child, and increase the likelihood of spontaneous abortions, stillbirths and babies having low birthweight.’’  (9 seconds)

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: September, 04 2008