It is well known that pregnant women should avoid smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, otherwise they risk serious consequences for their health and that of the fetus.
However, a study published on Monday, September 9 by Public Health France shows that among mothers of children aged 5 years or younger in 2021, “13% of them said they smoked throughout their pregnancy.”
According to the study, which is based on the statements of 1,302 mothers and 157 pregnant women, almost a quarter of them (24%) smoked when they found out they were pregnant. In detail, 45% of them said they had stopped smoking when they found out they were pregnant or during pregnancy, but 51% said they had reduced the amount they smoked without quitting, and 4% had neither quit nor reduced their consumption. These proportions have not changed significantly compared to the 2017 estimates, the latest to date, the public body noted.
A “number of women and children concerned is far from anecdotal”
For alcohol consumption during pregnancy, it appeared “a downward trend compared to the situation in 2017”According to the authors of the study, 93% of mothers of a young child reported in 2021 that they had never drank alcohol during their last pregnancy after learning they were pregnant, a significantly higher number than in 2017 (88%).
“But 7% said they had drunk, even if only a few sips” : 6% said they consume alcohol only on special occasions and less than 1% more than once a month.
The survey at the origin of the data has limits, acknowledged by the authors of the study: it is based on statements, potentially biased by a concern for “social desirability” in a “sensitive topic” or by an inaccurate memory. And it is not only aimed at pregnant women or mothers of young children, so the estimates for this category are based on a small sample.
However, the estimate of tobacco consumption during pregnancy is close to the results of another survey, the perinatal survey, from 2021, in which alcohol consumption appears to be slightly higher.
Faced with this observation, the judges of Public Health France “It is important to continue prevention efforts and support women who may have difficulties with substance use during pregnancy, because the number of women and children affected is far from anecdotal.”.
