Anti-smoking work in deprived areas could cut stillbirths

Research published this week in the British Medical Journal has found that a disproportionately high number of young mothers in deprived communities smoke and are also more likely to experience a stillbirth or the death of their baby.

In contrast stillbirth and infant death incidents as well as smoking were far less common among older mothers from more affluent areas.

The research concludes that better smoking cessation promotion among deprived communities could reduce this inequality by as much as 40 per cent.

The report says that: "Although the contribution of NHS smoking cessation services to reducing smoking prevalence has been small, it has had a disproportionate effect in the most disadvantaged areas, thus potentially reducing inequalities."

It adds though that investment in helping young mothers in deprived areas to give up smoking needs to be backed up by wider health support in such communities and stronger tobacco control policies from government.

The research was based on analysis of stillbirth and infant death records in Scotland between 1994 and 2003.