West Virginia has the highest proportion of pregnant smokers in the nation. According to Vital Statistics and PRAMS data, about 30% of West Virginia
(WV) mothers smoke during their pregnancy. This rate is nearly three
times the national average, and is well above the Healthy People 2020
target of <1%
In West Virginia in 2018, 25.4% of mothers under age 20 reported smoking
during the last three months of pregnancy, compared to 27.5% of women
ages 20-29, 20.0% of women ages 30-39 and 30.8% of women ages 40 and
older.
Tobacco smoking during pregnancy causes many detrimental effects on health and reproduction, in addition to the general health effects of tobacco. A number of studies have shown that tobacco use is a significant factor in miscarriages among pregnant smokers, and that it contributes to a number of other threats to the health of the fetus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Smoking while you are pregnant can cause serious problems. Smoking, Pregnancy, and Babies
The WVDTP partners with the WV Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health(OMCFH) to provide smoking cessation education an WV Tobacco Quitline services to pregnant smokers and those women of child-bearing age. The mission of OMCFH is to provide leadership to support state and community efforts to build systems of care that assure the health and well-being of all West Virginians.
Resources:
West Virginia Perinatal Partnership Facebook page.
The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership is an organization dedicated to the goal of improving health outcomes for pregnant women and their babies in West Virginia.
For over eighty years the March of Dimes has been leading the fight for the health of all moms and babies. Visit the website here. The March of Dimes
Feasibility Study of Smoking Cessation in Pregnant and Postpartum Adolescents in Rural Appalachia. Ilana Chertok