Smoking in pregnancy has longer-term effects on children

Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy have a higher risk of behavioural problems at age nine than those who abstained, research shows.

The findings, part of a longitudinal study called Growing Up in Ireland, show that the effects of maternal smoking when pregnant stretch well beyond premature birth and low birth weight.

Long-term, a child’s academic performance can also suffer where behavioural problems include an inability to settle down and pay attention, Dr Cathal McCrory, one of the study’s authors, said.