Monday, May 23, 2011

New Mothers Should Be Asked About Smoking Habit

Credit: Rakim/Shutterstock
New mothers should be asked whether they smoke cigarettes and, if so, how many a day. A study reported by Medscape's Alice Goodman from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 59th Annual Clinical Meeting indicates that smoking may be a sign that the mothers are suffering from postpartum depression. The finding came from a survey from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, a project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, depression was strongly associated with the number of cigarettes smoked; it was found in 13% of nonsmokers, 22% of light smokers (10 or fewer cigarettes per day), and 29% of those who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day.

The study was based on a survey of a random sample of 8,074 new mothers in Maryland who delivered babies between 2004 and 2008. Participants completed the survey between 2 and 9 months after delivery.

More information on postpartum depression is posted at http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/45/18/18.1.full and http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/42/13/1.1.full

Disclaimer

The content of Psychiatric News does not necessarily reflect the views of APA or the editors. Unless so stated, neither Psychiatric News nor APA guarantees, warrants, or endorses information or advertising in this newspaper. Clinical opinions are not peer reviewed and thus should be independently verified.