Abstract

Background: According to the World Health Organization, smoking is the most significant risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes in industrialized countries. A potential mediator of the impact of smoking on fetal growth is the placenta, which provides the transport of oxygen and nutrients between the mother and the fetus. Nicotine causes a reduction in uteroplacental circulation, leading to negative fetal outcomes such as small size for gestational age, low birth weight, poor growth, and compromised neurological development of the fetus. Many studies have documented a strong association between active smoking during pregnancy and fetal growth restriction. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of smoking during pregnancy on newborn birth weight. Methods: In a retrospective study, we analyzed 659 pregnancies with recorded data on smoking during pregnancy and newborn birth weights from the pregnancy database at the Obstetrics Department of the Health Center in Velika Kladuša, Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the period from 2009 to 2010. Results and Discussion: Data analysis revealed that 19.8% of women smoked during pregnancy. The mean birth weight of newborns born to non-smoking mothers was 3446 g, while the mean birth weight of newborns born to smoking mothers was 3287 g. Newborns of smoking mothers had a birth weight that was 159 g lower than those of non-smoking mothers. Conclusion: Smoking during pregnancy significantly affects birth weight and, consequently, pregnancy outcomes.

Key words: pregnancy, maternal smoking, birth weight of the newborn