Smoking during pregnancy in Blekinge 1984-88

During the past 5-year period, midwives and doctors working in antenatal care in Blekinge county, Sweden, have increased their efforts to help pregnant smokers to stop or reduce smoking. To evaluate the effects of these efforts, all women giving birth during each September from 1984 to 1988 inclusive were asked to fill in an anonymous questionnaire on smoking habits before and during pregnancy. The answering frequency was 81-86%. The frequency of never-smokers was constant at 44-49%, while the proportion of women who had stopped smoking before pregnancy increased significantly, from six to 31%. Six to 13% of the responders had stopped smoking during pregnancy, and the persistent smokers smoked significantly less at the end of the period. Thus, during the study there was a gradual reduction in the proportion of pregnant women who smoked, and the smokers smoked less.