Effects of maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy on cognitive parameters of children and young adults: A literature review

Angela Clifford, Linda Lang, Ruoling Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

135 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The long term effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy on the cognitive development of the child are not well understood due to conflicting findings in past research. The aim of this paper was to provide an up to date, critical review of the literature to determine whether there is evidence of a relationship between tobacco smoke exposure in utero and cognitive functioning. We systematically reviewed observational studies (dated 2000-2011) that examined associations between tobacco smoke exposure in utero due to maternal smoking and performance on cognitive, intelligence, neurodevelopmental and academic tests. Eligible studies were identified through searches of Web of Knowledge, Medline, Science Direct, Google Scholar, CINAHL, EMBASE, Zetoc and Clinicaltrials.gov databases. The review found evidence of a relationship between tobacco smoke exposure in utero and reduced academic achievement and cognitive abilities independent of other variables. Maternal smoking during pregnancy may therefore be a modifiable risk factor for reduced cognitive abilities later in the life of the child. Giving up smoking during pregnancy should be initiated as early as possible to reduce the impact on the child's cognitive development.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)560–570
JournalNeurotoxicology and Teratology
Volume34
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2012

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