Reproductive health and child and infant health
Maternal smoking during pregnancy is an important cause of ill health for both mother and fetus.
Exposure to tobacco smoke significantly reduces birth weight of the child, can cause pre-term delivery and increases the risk of spontaneous abortion and stillbirth. Tobacco consumption increases the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
There is good evidence that second-hand smoke causes diseases in children, such as middle ear disease, respiratory symptoms, impaired lung function, childhood asthma, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and lower respiratory illness.
SOURCES AND REFERENCES
WHO, Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic: the MPOWER package, Geneva, 2008
