One on Ten American Women Smoke While In Pregnancy: Research

A study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed one in ten pregnant women reported drinking alcoholic beverages while pregnant.

This finding is troubling for researchers, since alcohol has been known to create negative health effects on pregnant women and their soon-to-be children.

The study was conducted from 2011 to 2013 and was on more than 2 lac American women who are pregnant.

The researchers noted that more comprehensive approaches, in addition to alcohol screening and interventions in primary care, are needed to deter pregnant women from drinking and reduce binge drinking among women of childbearing age.

Many women continue to smoke and drink alcohol in spite of medical warnings.

Drinking was common among women who were not pregnant – 53.6 percent said they had consumed alcohol at least once during the 30 days before their interview. However, consuming high saturated fat food is also one among the many don’ts which American mothers are completely avoiding.

According to Daily Nation, Coleen Boyle, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Centre on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said, “We know that alcohol use during pregnancy can cause birth defects and developmental disabilities in babies, as well as an increased risk of other pregnancy problems, such as miscarriage, stillbirth, and prematurity”.

Data from the CDC’s ongoing Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey revealed that 10 percent of pregnant women in the United States, aged 18 to 44, had imbibed alcohol in the past 30 days.

“When a pregnant woman uses alcohol, her baby does, too”, the FSDCE said. The survey discovered that one in thirty-three women, or roughly 3.1% are binge drinkers. The urgency of such medical campaigns is all the more obvious considering the effects of alcohol consumption on pregnant women and their fetuses.

“It’s really important to remember that there is no safe amount, no safe time and no safe type of alcohol to drink during pregnancy”, Tan told Reuters. “It’s just not worth it”.