A new study by Public Health France reveals that 13% of pregnant women continue to smoke throughout their pregnancy, despite the risks to their health or that of their future child.
In France, more than one in 10 women continue to smoke during their pregnancy, according to a new study carried out by Santé publique France, the results of which were published on Monday, September 9. The figures reveal that 13% of women who were mothers of children aged 5 or under in 2021 and who were surveyed had continued to smoke during their pregnancy.
In detail, the study shows that nearly a quarter (24%) of the women surveyed were smokers when they found out they were pregnant. Of these, 45% said they had stopped smoking as soon as they found out they were pregnant or during their pregnancy. 51% of them said they had reduced the amount of tobacco smoked without stopping completely and finally 4% had neither stopped nor reduced their consumption.
Lower blood alcohol levels
Among the 157 pregnant women at the time of the 2021 survey, 18% even reported smoking daily: this proportion is not significantly different from that observed in 2017.
The figures are lower, however, when it comes to alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Among mothers of children aged 5 or under in 2021, 93% reported never drinking alcohol during their last pregnancy after finding out they were pregnant, and 6% only for special occasions. Less than 1% reported drinking more than once a month.
Or Santé publique France reminds us that tobacco and alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have serious consequences on the health of the mother and that of the unborn child. More than 7 out of 10 women (71%) of mothers also stated that the doctor or midwife who had followed them during their pregnancy had informed them of the possible impact of alcohol consumption on their pregnancy and on their child. A proportion that has significantly increased compared to the 2017 estimates, since it was 65% in 2017.
This study was conducted by telephone with 1,302 mothers in metropolitan France, with children aged 5 or under in 2021 who were not pregnant at the time of the survey, and 157 women who were pregnant at the time of the interview. It should nevertheless be kept in mind that these declarative surveys are likely to encounter significant under-reporting linked to social desirability bias.
Jeanne Bulant BFMTV journalist
