Prevalence and Correlates of Tobacco Smoking During the Perinatal Period Among Women Enrolled in a Midwestern WIC Program

Background Perinatal tobacco smoking remains a public health concern and is associated with smoking related morbidity and mortality. This study aims to report the prevalence and correlates of smoking during pregnancy among low-income women. Methods The study sample comprised 729 pregnant women who were enrolled in a perinatal depression registry in a public health WIC program between 2013 and 2015. Smoking risks were obtained from the clinical USDA Risk Assessment. STATA 14.2 was used for analyses. Results 15.1% of women reported smoking during pregnancy. Compared to White women, Black women were less likely to smoke odds ratio (OR 0.45 [95% CI 0.25–0.81]). Foreign-born women and women living in non-smoking homes remained at a lower risk for smoking during pregnancy. Implications Smoking during pregnancy is prevalent among low-income women. In addition to prenatal education on smoking cessation, supportive measures to help deliver smoking cessation interventions should be provided to household members.