Researchers from the University of South Australia have found a link between smoking during pregnancy and children's school grades. The research was published in the scientific journal Addictive Behaviors.
An additional meta-analysis of eight primary studies with 723,877 participants showed that children exposed to maternal prenatal tobacco smoking were 49 percent more likely to struggle with poor academic achievement in comparison to those who had not been exposed to smoking in utero.
According to statistics, in Australia, 8.7 percent (or 26,433) of all mothers who gave birth in 2021 smoked at some time during their pregnancy.
"Prenatal smoking is known to cause multiple pregnancy complications, including a higher risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, restricted growth and development, and serious birth defects. It is also linked with adverse mental health outcomes and behavioural issues.
“Our new research adds to this, by showing that maternal prenatal smoking has a significant risk of limiting a child’s academic performance, putting them well behind their peers at school," noted the aforesaid researchers.
Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter