SMOKING-BEHAVIOR OF PREGNANT-WOMEN AND MO THERS WITH YOUNG-CHILDREN

The aim of the study is to analyse the smoking behaviour of pregnant w omen and mothers with young children and to identify sociodemographic factors for the nicotine consumption of these persons. Data basis are the national and regional health examination surveys of the German Car diovascular Prevention Study (GCP). included were 8385 females in the agegroup 25-40 years. 326 (3.9%) of these females were pregnant at the lime of the survey and 2538 (30.3%) were mothers with one or more chi ldren aged up to 5 years. Smoking behaviour family status number and a ge of the children and other sociodemographic variables were determine d with a self-administered standardised questionnaire, smokers. The pr evalence of smoking females without young children was slightly higher (42.3%). 20.6% of all pregnant females were current smokers. For moth ers in he lowest social class, the smoking prevalence was two times hi gher compared to mothers in the highest social class Unmarried and div orced: mothers yielded a very high smoking prevalence. These results s uggest that there is a need for prevention and health promotion progra ms for pregnant females and young mothers. Special emphasis should be targetted at unmarried young mothers and mothers from socially disadva ntaged population groups.