Antenatal smoking in vulnerable population groups: An area of need

Abstract

Antenatal smoking is a potentially preventable risk factor associated with pre-term birth and low birth weight. Rates of antenatal smoking, low birth weight, and infant mortality are all higher among the Indigenous populations than the non-Indigenous populations of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. Given this, it might be expected that publications examining smoking cessation efforts in Indigenous antenatal groups would be substantive. We examined the differences in the number and type of antenatal smoking publications for Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations across three time periods (1984-86, 1994-96 and 2004-06). Articles were classified as research studies (focusing on mea..