Other negative findings by study conducted at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, indicated an association between nicotine consumption during pregnancy and increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
The study titled, “Association of maternal snuff use and smoking with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: a national register study,” was published in Paediatric Research and found the increased risk of SIDS in offspring of mothers who used nicotine products during pregnancy. This included the use of safer nicotine products such as snus, and the risk was lower when the mothers quit these products early on in their pregnancies.
Dr Anna Gunnerbeck, a paediatrician at the Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital and researcher at the Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, said that ideally during pregnancy all nicotine products should be avoided.
“Our study indicates that nicotine is a risk factor of sudden infant death; so we conclude that all types of nicotine products should be avoided during pregnancy. Fortunately, the incidence of sudden infant death is very low, but we can see that taking snus or smoking while pregnant is associated with an increased risk,” she said.
Similarly, Norway’s Health Minister has recently approved a health label warning pregnant women on the dangers of using snus whilst expecting. The label listing the side effects of using snus during pregnancy was approved by Ingvild Kjerkol (AP), Norway’s Minister for Health and Care Services.
The UK recommends safer nicotine alternatives for pregnant women unable to quit
On the other hand, a UK quit smoking trial recommended the use of safer alternatives for pregnant women. The study titled, “Electronic cigarettes versus nicotine patches for smoking cessation in pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial,” randomly assigned 569 pregnant smokers to using e-cigarettes and 571 to using nicotine patches.
The research team reported that in their quit attempts, 15.4% of those given vapes reported not smoking, compared to 8.6% of those given patches. “Many pregnant smokers find it difficult to quit with current stop smoking medications including nicotine patches and continue to smoke throughout pregnancy,” said study author Dr Francesca Pesola, who is based at Queen Mary University in London.
Incentives for pregnant women to quit smoking
Meanwhile, following other research indicating that financial incentives would encourage pregnant women to quit smoking, a recent NHS guidance, proposed giving shopping vouchers worth up to £400.
Research, says the guidance, suggests that for every 1,000 pregnant women offered vouchers, 177 would stop smoking. “Evidence from the UK showed that schemes in which a maximum of around £400 could be gained in vouchers staggered over time (with reductions for each relapse made) were effective and cost effective.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) and Public Health England said that offering financial incentives to help pregnant women stop smoking is “both effective and cost effective.”
A South London Council Will be Handing Out Free Vapes to Pregnant Women
