Pregnancy, smoking and infant mortality: the losing trio

Behind the significant infant mortality rate recorded in the county of Milton Keynes, it is the risk factors, notably smoking, which are attracting the attention of the Health and Wellbeing Board[1] (HWB) in the United Kingdom.

While last February, theOffice for National Statistics[2] (ONS) was pleased to note a decline in the average infant mortality rate for the year 2018 in the United Kingdom[3], the Milton Keynes County Health Board, for its part, today deplores the excessively high figures in this Buckinghamshire county. The recommendations made for professionals in the health and social care sectors emphasize the need to address modifiable risk factors, such as smoking.

Milton Keynes: 5.2 infant deaths per 1,000 births

Based on official data from 2016 to 2018, the infant mortality rate in Milton Keynes was 5.2 deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 births. This rate is significantly higher than the national average (3.8 deaths per 1,000 births in 2018) and more than double the infant mortality rates in the counties with the lowest prevalence (2.5 deaths per 1,000 in 2018).

Understanding the causes of these deaths is essential for implementing appropriate and effective measures to reduce the infant mortality rate. It should be noted that the incidence of risk factors varies depending on the infant's age. For example, the risk of death related to low birth weight is higher in the first 28 days of an infant's life, while socioeconomic status is more associated with deaths occurring before the age of one.[4].

Link between smoking rates and infant mortality rates

Emphasizing the need to act on modifiable risk factors, such as smoking and obesity, the Milton Keynes HWB report takes seriously the dangers of maternal smoking to infant health. In this county, for example, the number of mothers smoking at the time of birth has increased by 49% over the past 12 months, from 9.6% to 14.3%, while it is lower than 5% in counties where the infant mortality rate is 2.5 per 1,000 births.[5].

While efforts to encourage smoking cessation among pregnant women are ongoing, it is clear that they remain insufficient. The HWB supports smoke-free spaces within all infrastructure. National Health Services[6] (NHS) in Milton Keynes, the equivalent of French Social Security[7]An effort to raise awareness of smoking cessation methods for professionals in contact with pregnant women should also be a priority.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Health and Wellness Council [2] Office for National Statistics [3] Office for National Statistics, Deaths recorded in England and Wales: 2016, www.ons.gov.uk (20 February 2020 – accessed 3 August 2020) [4] Office for National Statistics, Child and infant mortality in England and Wales: 2018, www.ons.gov.uk (accessed 3 August 2020). [5] TOOLEY David, Infant death rate in Milton Keynes sparks focus on smoking and obesity in mums, www.miltonkeynes.co.uk (July 30, 2020 – accessed August 3, 2020). [6] British public health system [7] Full Fact, What is the NHS?, www.fullfact.org (June 1, 2017 - accessed August 3, 2020). DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World | MT