Research

Significantly higher hospital costs found for surgical patients who smoke
A recent study finds that current cigarette smokers (patients who smoked within the year before their operation) who undergo general surgery incur higher inpatient costs than patients who never smoked. Data on 14,853 patients who had undergone general surgery operations in 123 Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Centers during a one-year period were analyzed. Study results showed that the total inpatient costs for current smokers were 4% higher than those of patients who never smoked, and that increased costs were primarily due to postoperative respiratory complications. Findings from the study suggest that preoperative behavioral interventions that target smoking cessation are needed, and that even short periods of abstinence are beneficial. To read more about this study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, click here.

Mom's smoking tied to dangerous gut illness in preemies
A new small-scale study has found that mothers who smoke while pregnant increase the risk of a life-threatening bowel disease to their babies, if the baby is born prematurely. The researchers from the University of Louisville in Kentucky studied 73 infants, and examined the mothers’ prenatal and postnatal status including maternal smoking history, blood pressure, body mass index, age, diabetes incidence and other data regarding the birth. The data showed that maternal smoking was the only factor that was linked to an increased risk for the bowel disease necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which is the most common gastrointestinal emergency in premature babes. Future research is needed to examine how much nicotine is absorbed by the baby, and to further analyze the association between smoking during pregnancy and NEC in preemies, since the study did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship. Click here to read more. Click here for the study abstract published in Pediatrics.

Parental smoking damaging children's arteries
A new study found that children who are exposed to secondhand smoke by their parents are at a greater risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke as adults. The study, conducted by the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Research Institute, examined the long-term health effects of passive smoking on children using population-based data collected in Finland and Australia during childhood and again twenty years later. The examination of the participants’ blood vessels revealed that a strong link exists between secondhand smoke exposure as a child and poor cardiovascular health later in life. Future research should explore how secondhand smoke exposure might affect other aspects of health. To read this article click here. Click here for the study abstract published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Smoking ban reduced maternal smoking and preterm birth risk
A recent study suggests that a citywide ban on public smoking decreased rates of maternal smoking and preterm births. The study, published in the Journal of Women’s Health, was a natural experiment that observed maternal smoking rates (self-reported), low birth weight, and preterm births before and after a smoking ban was implemented in Pueblo, Colorado compared to a similar community with no smoking ban. The results showed that the odds of maternal smoking and preterm births were lower in Pueblo, and low birth weight births also decreased. This study is the first of its kind in the U.S. to report that population-level interventions using a smoking ban may improve maternal and fetal health outcomes. Click here to read more about this study. Click here for the study abstract.

Teens whose moms smoked while pregnant may have worse asthma
According to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, black and Hispanic children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy have an increased risk for uncontrolled asthma (defined as asthma that is not controlled by regular medication). Data gathered from about 2,500 black and Hispanic children were analyzed, and the researchers found that children aged 8 to 17 with uncontrolled asthma were more likely to have mothers who smoked during pregnancy. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy had about a 50 percent increase in uncontrolled asthma compared to those who were not exposed to smoke in utero. Ethnic minorities are more likely to smoke during pregnancy, and asthma rates among black and Hispanic populations are higher than in the overall U.S population. Click here to read more about this study, which was conducted by the University of California, San Francisco. Click here to access the study abstract.

top

Back to Table of Contents