France: 13% of women continue to smoke during pregnancy

According to the analysis of data from the 2021 French Public Health Barometer[1], made public on September 9, 2024, 13% of women report having consumed tobacco throughout their pregnancy. A proportion that has been stable since 2017. 7% of them respond that they consumed alcohol during their pregnancy.

These results are based on the more specific analysis of data from the Public Health France Barometer survey conducted among adults in mainland France. In 2021, 1,302 mothers of children aged 5 or under who were not pregnant at the time of the survey and 157 pregnant women were questioned about their alcohol and tobacco consumption during their last pregnancy and their current pregnancy respectively.

Santé Publique France reminds us that this survey is based on declarations and that it is therefore "reasonable to consider the existence of a social desirability bias in the responses concerning the sensitive subject of the consumption of psychoactive substances during pregnancy."

Tobacco consumption remains very high

Among mothers of children aged 5 or under in 2021, 24% were regular smokers when they learned they were pregnant. Among them, 45 % reported having stopped smoking as soon as they learned they were pregnant or during their pregnancy, 51 % reported having reduced the amount of tobacco smoked without quitting completely, and finally 4 % neither stopped nor reduced their consumption. Compared to all mothers, 13 % of them reported having smoked during their entire pregnancy, whether or not they had reduced their consumption. Among the 157 women who were pregnant at the time of the 2021 survey, 18 % reported smoking daily. This proportion is not significantly different from that observed in 2017.

Two-thirds of mothers (67%) reported that the health professionals who followed them during their pregnancy informed them of the possible impact of smoking on their pregnancy and on their child (62% in 2017).

Decrease in alcohol consumption among pregnant women

Among mothers of children aged 5 or under, 7% of them reported having consumed alcohol during their last pregnancy after finding out they were pregnant. 6% of these mothers had drunk while pregnant on special occasions and 1% several times a month. By comparison, 12% reported having consumed alcohol during their pregnancy in 2017.

Among women reporting having consumed alcohol during their pregnancy, 57% reported having drunk only a few sips, the others mostly reported having consumed, on average, only one drink. Among women who were pregnant at the time of the survey, 8 % reported having consumed alcohol since they knew they were pregnant. This proportion is not significantly different from that observed in 2017.

71% of mothers reported that the health professionals who followed them during their pregnancy informed them of the possible impact of alcohol consumption on their pregnancy and on their child (65% in 2017).

The risks of smoking before and during pregnancy

Maternal smoking before and during pregnancy is associated with many health complications: miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, intrauterine growth retardation, premature births, etc.

Infants exposed to passive smoking during pregnancy are more likely to develop respiratory problems such as asthma and have a threefold increased risk of sudden death.[2]. A recent study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health[3] had also concluded that consumption by mothers before or during pregnancy of 1 to 2 cigarettes per day is associated with a significant increase in the frequency of occurrence of severe neonatal diseases in their children.[4] compared to those of non-smoking women. The authors of the study thus recalled that there is no period or threshold of risk-free cigarette consumption shortly before and during pregnancy.

Continue prevention and support for pregnant women

For Public Health France, it appears important to continue prevention efforts and to support women who may have difficulty with tobacco and alcohol consumption during their pregnancy. Smoking status and alcohol consumption must be addressed by all health professionals during pre-conception consultations, early prenatal interviews and throughout pregnancy with all parents concerned. For women who experience difficulties with the consumption of these substances, support from a health professional must be systematically offered.

©Tobacco Free Generation

AE

[1] Barometer, Tobacco and alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Results of the 2020 Public Health Barometer in France1, Public Health France, published on September 9, 2024, consulted on September 10, 2024

[2] Tobacco, specific risks for women, CNCT

[3] Tobacco-Free Generation, One to two cigarettes smoked per day before or during pregnancy increases the risk of severe neonatal complications, published on August 22, 2024, accessed on September 10, 2024

[4]  Use of assisted ventilation immediately after delivery, assisted ventilation for more than 6 hours, admission to neonatal intensive care for continuous mechanical ventilation, surfactant replacement therapy, suspected sepsis, and seizures or serious neurological problems.